Uzunköprü Bridge
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Uzunköprü ( ''Long Bridge''), formerly , is a 15th-century Ottoman stone bridge over the River Ergene in
Edirne Province Edirne Province ( tr, ) is a Turkish province located in East Thrace. Part of European Turkey, it is one of only three provinces located entirely within continental Europe. Edirne Province is bordered by Tekirdağ Province and Kırklareli Pr ...
, northwestern Turkey. The bridge gave its name to the nearby town of
Uzunköprü Uzunköprü is a town in Edirne Province in Turkey. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the Ergene River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the B ...
. It is claimed to be the world's longest stone bridge. It was built to facilitate crossing the Ergene for troops during river floods, and to replace a wooden bridge; previous structures had rapidly deteriorated or had been destroyed. Construction of the bridge was started in 1426 or 1427, and ended in 1443 or 1444. The newly-completed bridge had a length of , spanning 174
arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es. The stones include several figures and motifs, which were replaced over time. The bridge was repaired following earthquakes and floods, which decreased its length, and the number of its arches. In 1971, it was widened to and was covered over with steel and concrete. Heavy vehicles were banned from using the bridge in 2013, as an alternative concrete bridge was being built. The bridge was closed to traffic in September 2021 for another restoration project after cracks had started to appear in the stones a few years earlier. One aim of the restoration is to excavate some of the buried arches.


Background

The swampy nature of the area meant it unsuitable for settlement until the Ottoman period; the earliest settlers lived in the surrounding hilly regions. Occasional floods at
Ergene Ergene ( tr, Ergene Nehri; grc, Εργίνης, ''Eryinis'') is a major left tributary of the Maritsa (Meriç) river, flowing entirely in the East Thrace region of Turkey. The river rises from the southern part of Strandzha mountain, not far fr ...
made the crossings of Ottoman military expeditions into
Rumelia Rumelia ( ota, روم ايلى, Rum İli; tr, Rumeli; el, Ρωμυλία), etymologically "Land of the Names of the Greeks#Romans (Ῥωμαῖοι), Romans", at the time meaning Eastern Orthodox Christians and more specifically Christians f ...
difficult. The ground where the bridge is located has a structure consisting of
clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4). Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
and
sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates) ...
. Several wooden bridges on the same location had already preceded the current structure. The wooden bridges were destructed quickly by either enemies or high tides. Sultan
Murad II Murad II ( ota, مراد ثانى, Murād-ı sānī, tr, II. Murad, 16 June 1404 – 3 February 1451) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1421 to 1444 and again from 1446 to 1451. Murad II's reign was a period of important economic deve ...
ordered a new stone bridge to be made long and strong so that it was still crossable during high
tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravity, gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide t ...
s. Additionally, the stone bridge provided a safe crossing of the marshy location on the
Gallipoli The Gallipoli peninsula (; tr, Gelibolu Yarımadası; grc, Χερσόνησος της Καλλίπολης, ) is located in the southern part of East Thrace, the European part of Turkey, with the Aegean Sea to the west and the Dardanelles ...
–Edirne route.


History


Construction and opening

The land where Uzunköprü Bridge was to be built had first to be cleared up from spinose structures and other vegetation, which had provided cover for thieves and thugs. Ottoman scholars differ about the year construction of the bridge began—according to
Hoca Sadeddin Efendi Hoca Sadeddin Efendi ( ota, خواجه سعد الدین افندی; 1536/1537 – October 2, 1599İsmail Hâmi Danişmend, ''Osmanlı Devlet Erkânı'', Türkiye Yayınevi, İstanbul, 1971, p. 118. ) was an Ottoman scholar, official, and histo ...
, it was started in 1426/7, but wrote that construction on the bridge was begun in 1427/8 by the sultan's head architect Muslihiddin and craftsman Mehmed, and that it was completed in 1443/4. Stones were sourced from quarries in the nearby villages of Yağmurca, Eskiköy and Hasırcıarnavut. The bridge was built using pre-cut blocks of
limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. Khorasan mortar, which slowly hardens on contact with the air, was used to bind the blocks together. At places where the
abutment An abutment is the substructure at the ends of a bridge span or dam supporting its superstructure. Single-span bridges have abutments at each end which provide vertical and lateral support for the span, as well as acting as retaining walls ...
s could not be built on a solid rock foundation, wooden piles were used. It is not known if
cofferdam A cofferdam is an enclosure built within a body of water to allow the enclosed area to be pumped out. This pumping creates a dry working environment so that the work can be carried out safely. Cofferdams are commonly used for construction or re ...
s were used, but it is likely they were not, as most of the work on the bridge would have taken place during dry periods, when the river level was lower. Once the foundation was ready, the stones making up the
arch An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vaul ...
es were laid using wooden molds in the shapes of the arches. At wet periods or at places where the river was running, the formwork was placed in special slots, which was a difficult process. This is seen as the reason as to why construction took sixteen years. The bridge was named ("Ergene Bridge"). A mosque,
imaret Imaret, sometimes also known as a ''darüzziyafe'', is one of a few names used to identify the public soup kitchens built throughout the Ottoman Empire from the 14th to the 19th centuries. These public kitchens were often part of a larger complex ...
and
madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , pl. , ) is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whether for elementary instruction or higher learning. The word is variously transliterated '' ...
was also built. The village, of Yaylar arose at the western end, while the town of
Uzunköprü Uzunköprü is a town in Edirne Province in Turkey. It is named after a historical stone bridge, claimed to be the world's longest, on the Ergene River. It is a strategically important border town, located on the routes connecting Turkey to the B ...
( ''Long Bridge'') was founded at the eastern end— the town taking its name from the bridge. The magnificent opening ceremony for the bridge was attended by the sultan, who was returning to Istanbul after his victory at the
Battle of Varna The Battle of Varna took place on 10 November 1444 near Varna in eastern Bulgaria. The Ottoman Army under Sultan Murad II (who did not actually rule the sultanate at the time) defeated the Hungarian–Polish and Wallachian armies commanded by ...
.


16th to 20th century

Uzunköprü Bridge is first known to have been repaired in 1546, when work was done to the bridge and several
mills Mills is the plural form of mill, but may also refer to: As a name *Mills (surname), a common family name of English or Gaelic origin * Mills (given name) *Mills, a fictional British secret agent in a trilogy by writer Manning O'Brine Places Unit ...
on the Ergene. The first major restoration took place in 1620. The bridge was renamed the in 1718, but had been given its original name by 1727, when the French explorer recorded that the local residents referred to both the town and the bridge as Uzunköprü. After earthquakes and flooding caused four of the bridge's arches to collapse in 1822/3, three larger arches were built to replace them. After a series of earthquakes that occurred during the late 19th century destroyed three of the arches in 1901, two new arches were built. They were completed three years later. In 1908, the municipality removed stone blocks from the bridge to make
drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...
s inside the town. In 1956, following a particularly harsh winter, flooding swept away the last of the bridge's two mills. In 1957, a section of the dock was filled in to create a car park. From 1964 to 1971, the bridge underwent a restoration by the General Directorate of Highways, who widened it by to , and covered the top with a steel and concrete deck for the use of two-way traffic. The resulting heavy traffic that used the bridge caused severe damage to its structure. Gaps between stones that had appeared were filled with stone mortar in 1993.


21st century

A new concrete bridge built away was opened in 2013, and heavy vehicles were prohibited from using the historic bridge. In 2015, the bridge was added to the
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
Tentative List in the Cultural category. In 2018, a picture of the historic bridge was meant to be put on the first page of the new
Turkish passport Turkish passports ( tr, Türk pasaportu) are issued in accordance with the Passport Act (No. 5682) from 15 July 1950 to Turkish citizens to travel abroad. Citizens of the ''de facto'' state of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) ...
. However, the
Ministry of Interior An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministry ...
accidentally used a picture of the Meriç Bridge instead, while the photo was still labelled as Uzunköprü. In early 2019, cracks started to appear on the stones at the base that could be seen every . Locals requested the bridge to be restored to its original version as it deviated from its form with the 1971 restoration, and for it to be preserved as a cultural asset. In March 2021, it was announced that the tender for the restoration was completed, and that work on the bridge was set to start soon. In September 2021, the bridge was closed in order for further restoration work to be done, including the repair of 25 arches, the replacement of the
asphalt concrete Asphalt concrete (commonly called asphalt, blacktop, or pavement in North America, and tarmac, bitumen macadam, or rolled asphalt in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland) is a composite material commonly used to surface roads, parkin ...
road surface with stones, and the replacement of any missing blocks of stone. At the time it was announced that the restoration would take between three and four years to complete.


Specifications

Uzunköprü is the longest stone bridge in the world. When it was first completed, was long and wide. The bridge was the longest in the Ottoman Empire and later Turkey, a title which it held for 530 years until 1973, when it was surpassed by the
Bosphorus Bridge The Bosphorus Bridge ( tr, Boğaziçi Köprüsü), known officially as the 15 July Martyrs Bridge ( tr, 15 Temmuz Şehitler Köprüsü) and unofficially as the First Bridge ( tr, Birinci Köprü), is one of the three suspension bridges spannin ...
in
Istanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. The Ottoman explorer
Evliya Çelebi Derviş Mehmed Zillî (25 March 1611 – 1682), known as Evliya Çelebi ( ota, اوليا چلبى), was an Ottoman explorer who travelled through the territory of the Ottoman Empire and neighboring lands over a period of forty years, recording ...
visited the town of Uzunköprü in 1658, and described the bridge as being 2000 "stretched steps" long. In 1978, the length of the bridge was measured to be ; it was determined to be in 1989. In 2018, the bridge was found to be long, when its length was measured for the ''
Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...
''. The bridge was originally built with 174 arches, the largest of which had a span of . Some of the arches are pointed and some are round. Some of the abutments have carvings of figures of animals such as elephants, lions and birds, some of which are no longer visible. There are also motifs related to the
Seljuk Empire The Great Seljuk Empire, or the Seljuk Empire was a high medieval, culturally Turco-Persian tradition, Turko-Persian, Sunni Islam, Sunni Muslim empire, founded and ruled by the Qiniq (tribe), Qïnïq branch of Oghuz Turks. It spanned a total are ...
. It is believed that some figures and motifs were altered during restorations that took place before the 19th century. Restoration work on the bridge over the years has reduced the number of arches to 172. Of these, eight have since become buried underground, meaning that there are now 164 arches. The 2021 restoration work aims to unearth several of these buried arches. There are two balconies on the bridge. One is above arches 40 and 41, and is by in length. The other balcony is above arches 102 and 103, and measures by .


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External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Uzunkopru Bridge Bridges completed in 1443 Arch bridges in Turkey Stone bridges in Turkey Ottoman bridges in Turkey Buildings and structures in Edirne Province Road bridges in Turkey World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey