Devegeçidi Bridge: A Medieval Stone Arch Bridge in Türkiye
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.2
- Popularity
- Low
- Country
- Turkey
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval, Early Modern
- Civilizations
- Ottoman
- Site type
- Infrastructure
- Remains
- Bridge
On this page6 sections
History
Devegeçidi Bridge is a disused medieval stone arch bridge in Türkiye, about 20 kilometres north of Diyarbakır on the road to Ergani, generally dated to 1218 and associated with the Artuqid period. It is also known as Palu Bridge, Kara Köprü, Sultan Murad IV Bridge, and Cümek Village Bridge. The bridge carried historical associations with both medieval rule in Upper Mesopotamia and a later Ottoman tradition connected with Sultan Murad IV’s campaign against Safavid-held Baghdad.
Artuqid and Ottoman Attributions
The bridge is usually assigned to 1218. An inscription on its southern section has been described as recording construction in that year under Melik Salih Nâsıreddin Mahmud, an Artuqid ruler. The Artuqids were a medieval Turkmen dynasty that governed parts of Upper Mesopotamia and southeastern Anatolia. Another tradition links the bridge’s construction to the Baghdad campaign of Sultan Murad IV, whose reign included the Ottoman campaign against Safavid-held Baghdad. The date and patron therefore remain disputed, because the three inscriptions on the southern portion have not produced a consistently accepted attribution.
Older maps used the name Kara Köprü, while the name Sultan Murad IV Bridge reflects the Ottoman tradition. During the Armenian genocide, the bridge became notorious as a place of executions. At least 10,000 Armenians from Erzurum Vilayet are estimated to have been executed nearby. A vilayet was a major administrative province of the late Ottoman Empire, and Erzurum Vilayet covered a large area of eastern Anatolia.
Recent Repair
The bridge was last repaired in 1972. It is now disused, preserving the structure as a historical monument while also retaining evidence of later physical deterioration.
Remains
Bridge Structure
Devegeçidi Bridge crosses the Devegeçidi stream, a tributary of the Tigris. The stone arch structure measures approximately 119.17 metres in length and 6.40 metres in width. Its seven pointed arches rest on three piers standing in the water, with the two southern arches forming the broadest openings. The longest span is approximately 13.70 metres.
The bridge is built from basalt blocks, a dark volcanic stone. Some blocks were finely dressed, while others received less careful finishing. In places, the black, regularly shaped outer facing has fallen away, exposing the rubble fill beneath. Rubble fill is a structural core made from irregular stones, usually concealed behind a finished outer surface.
Inscriptions and Related Crossing
Three inscriptions occupy the southern portion of the bridge and contribute to the continuing debate over its date and patron. Their placement in the southern section also connects the surviving physical structure with the medieval and Ottoman traditions associated with the bridge.
A separate bridge crosses the same stream about 13.5 kilometres east, near its confluence with the Tigris. That crossing is also often called Devegeçidi Bridge, but it is distinct from the structure described here.
