Old Bridge, Hasankeyf
The Old Bridge (Turkish: Eski Köprü), also known as the Old Tigris Bridge, is a ruined four-arch bridge spanning the Tigris River in the town of Hasankeyf in Batman Province in southeastern Turkey. It was built by the Artuqid Turkmens in the mid-12th century, between about 1147 and 1167, and at the time its central arch was one of the largest in the world, if not the largest. The bridge was repaired by Ayyubid Kurdish and Aq Qoyunlu Turkmen rulers during the 14th and 15th centuries and appears to have eventually collapsed in the early or mid-17th century. The bridge's ruined piers still stand (two of them in the Tigris River), as does one arch. Since 2020 the ruins of the bridge, along with most of the town of Hasankeyf, have been submerged underwater by the filling of the Ilısu Dam reservoir.
Old Bridge, Hasankeyf Eski Köprü | |
|---|---|
The piers of Hasankeyf's Old Bridge over the Tigris river, as seen in 2012. Since 2020 they have been submerged underwater due to the completion of the Ilısu Dam. | |
| Coordinates | 37°42′52″N 41°24′40″E |
| Crosses | Tigris River |
| Locale | Hasankeyf, Batman Province, Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey |
| Other name(s) | (Old) Tigris Bridge |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch bridge |
| Material | Stone masonry and rubble, with some brick and wood |
| Total length | 200 m (660 ft) |
| Longest span | approx. 40 m (130 ft) |
| No. of spans | 4 |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| History | |
| Construction start | after AH 541 (1146/1147) |
| Construction end | before AH 562 (1166/1167) |
| Collapsed | before 1673 |
| Location | |