Šeher Ćehaja Bridge ( Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian: ''Šeher-Ćehajina ćuprija'' / Шехер-Ћехајина ћуприја) is a

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

which crosses the River Miljacka in

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

Bosnia and Herzegovina Bosnia and Herzegovina ( sh, / , ), abbreviated BiH () or B&H, sometimes called Bosnia–Herzegovina and often known informally as Bosnia, is a country at the crossroads of south and southeast Europe, located in the Balkans. Bosnia and H ...

. It can be translated as "Mayor's Bridge" from Turkish word for

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

. During the

Ottoman rule Ottoman is the Turkish spelling of the Arabic masculine given name Uthman ( ar, عُثْمان, ‘uthmān). It may refer to: Governments and dynasties * Ottoman Caliphate, an Islamic caliphate from 1517 to 1924 * Ottoman Empire, in existence fro ...

, 13 bridges were built in Sarajevo.; one of the most impressive ones is Šeher Ćehaja Bridge. The only written document indicating the year of the erection of the bridge is transcript of the

chronogram A chronogram is a sentence or inscription in which specific letters, interpreted as numerals (such as Roman numerals), stand for a particular date when rearranged. The word, meaning "time writing", derives from the Greek words ''chronos'' (χ� ...

Mostar Mostar (, ; sr-Cyrl, Мостар, ) is a city and the administrative center of Herzegovina-Neretva Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the historical capital of Herzegovina. Mostar is sit ...

indicating it was built in 994 AH (1585/1586 CE). According to the source, the bridge was constructed by a man named "Alija known as Hafizadić".Šeher Ćehaja Bridge - Sarajevo
/ref> The Šeher Ćehaja Bridge was damaged couple times during its existence. It happened during the huge

flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

s of 1619 and 1629 as well as in 1843 when the

Miljacka The Miljacka (Serbian Cyrillic: Миљацка) is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina that passes through Sarajevo. Numerous city bridges have been built to cross it. Characteristics The Miljacka river originates from the confluence of the Palja ...

River destroyed two

pillar A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a structural element that transmits, through compression (physical), compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. In other words, a column i ...

s during repairs by Mustafa-paša. The bridge was again damaged in 1880.

References

External links

Šeher Ćehaja Bridge - Sarajevo (dead link!)
Bridges in Sarajevo Ottoman bridges in Bosnia and Herzegovina Bridges completed in 1586 Rebuilt buildings and structures in Bosnia and Herzegovina National Monuments of Bosnia and Herzegovina Medieval Bosnia and Herzegovina architecture {{BosniaHerzegovina-bridge-struct-stub