Karamagara Bridge
Encyclopedia
The Karamagara Bridge is a late Roman bridge
in the ancient
region of Cappadocia
in eastern Turkey
, and possibly the earliest known pointed arch bridge.
. The bridge, along with much of the Arapgir Çayı valley, has been submerged since the completion of the Keban Dam
in 1975, as a result of which the water level in the Euphrates valley and some of its upstream tributaries dramatically rose.
The structure belonged to the Roman road
to Melitene, which was cut into the rock near the bridge at both sides of the river. Its name Karamağara ("black cave") probably derives from an artificially widened cavern on the southern bank which was carved into the darkish rock 75 m above the structure and served for protection of the crossing point. The bridge was quite frequently mentioned by early European travellers.
As with other monuments in the region, the site was examined by the Middle East Technical University
of Ankara prior to its flooding. Further downstream, at the village of Bahadın, the remains of another now submerged Roman bridge may indicate the existence of an older crossing point.
between the voussoir
s. On its eastern, downstream side a nearly intact Christian
inscription in Greek
runs along most of its length, citing Psalm 120, verse 8 of the Bible
. The text reads:
A paleographic analysis of the Greek letter forms yields a 5th or 6th century AD construction date for the bridge. With the bulk of Roman masonry bridges resting on semi-circular arches
, or, to a lesser extent, on segmental arches
, the Karamagara Bridge represents an equally rare and early instance of the use of pointed arches not only in late antique
bridge building, but also in the history of architecture overall. Along with other late Roman and Sassanid
examples, mostly evidenced in early church building
in Syria
and Mesopotamia
, the bridge proves the pre-Islamic
origin of the pointed arch in Near Eastern architecture, which the Muslim conquerors subsequently adopted and built on.
Roman bridge
Roman bridges, built by ancient Romans, were the first large and lasting bridges built. Roman bridges were built with stone and had the arch as its basic structure....
in the ancient
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
region of Cappadocia
Cappadocia
Cappadocia is a historical region in Central Anatolia, largely in Nevşehir Province.In the time of Herodotus, the Cappadocians were reported as occupying the whole region from Mount Taurus to the vicinity of the Euxine...
in eastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, and possibly the earliest known pointed arch bridge.
Location and situation
The single arch of 17 m spans between the cliffs of the rocky gorge of the Arapgir Çayı, an affluent of the EuphratesEuphrates
The Euphrates is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia...
. The bridge, along with much of the Arapgir Çayı valley, has been submerged since the completion of the Keban Dam
Keban Dam
The Keban Dam is a hydroelectric dam on the Euphrates, located in the Elazığ Province of Turkey. The dam was the first and most upstream of several large-scale dams to be built on the Euphrates by Turkey...
in 1975, as a result of which the water level in the Euphrates valley and some of its upstream tributaries dramatically rose.
The structure belonged to the Roman road
Roman road
The Roman roads were a vital part of the development of the Roman state, from about 500 BC through the expansion during the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. Roman roads enabled the Romans to move armies and trade goods and to communicate. The Roman road system spanned more than 400,000 km...
to Melitene, which was cut into the rock near the bridge at both sides of the river. Its name Karamağara ("black cave") probably derives from an artificially widened cavern on the southern bank which was carved into the darkish rock 75 m above the structure and served for protection of the crossing point. The bridge was quite frequently mentioned by early European travellers.
As with other monuments in the region, the site was examined by the Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University
Middle East Technical University is a public technical university located in Ankara, Turkey...
of Ankara prior to its flooding. Further downstream, at the village of Bahadın, the remains of another now submerged Roman bridge may indicate the existence of an older crossing point.
Pointed arch
The pointed arch rib was built without mortarMortar (masonry)
Mortar is a workable paste used to bind construction blocks together and fill the gaps between them. The blocks may be stone, brick, cinder blocks, etc. Mortar becomes hard when it sets, resulting in a rigid aggregate structure. Modern mortars are typically made from a mixture of sand, a binder...
between the voussoir
Voussoir
A voussoir is a wedge-shaped element, typically a stone, used in building an arch or vault.Although each unit in an arch or vault is a voussoir, two units are of distinct functional importance: the keystone and the springer. The keystone is the center stone or masonry unit at the apex of an arch. A...
s. On its eastern, downstream side a nearly intact Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
inscription in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
runs along most of its length, citing Psalm 120, verse 8 of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
. The text reads:
A paleographic analysis of the Greek letter forms yields a 5th or 6th century AD construction date for the bridge. With the bulk of Roman masonry bridges resting on semi-circular arches
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
, or, to a lesser extent, on segmental arches
Arch
An arch is a structure that spans a space and supports a load. Arches appeared as early as the 2nd millennium BC in Mesopotamian brick architecture and their systematic use started with the Ancient Romans who were the first to apply the technique to a wide range of structures.-Technical aspects:The...
, the Karamagara Bridge represents an equally rare and early instance of the use of pointed arches not only in late antique
Late Antiquity
Late Antiquity is a periodization used by historians to describe the time of transition from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in both mainland Europe and the Mediterranean world. Precise boundaries for the period are a matter of debate, but noted historian of the period Peter Brown proposed...
bridge building, but also in the history of architecture overall. Along with other late Roman and Sassanid
Sassanid Empire
The Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
examples, mostly evidenced in early church building
Church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions...
in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
, the bridge proves the pre-Islamic
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
origin of the pointed arch in Near Eastern architecture, which the Muslim conquerors subsequently adopted and built on.
See also
- List of Roman bridges
- List of Eastern Roman inventions