摘要: Description　　The Historic Malabadi Bridge is located on the Batman Creek which disembogues to Dicle (Tigris) River at site of Çatakköprü within the district of Silvan on the border between the provinc

Description

　　The Historic Malabadi Bridge is located on the Batman Creek which disembogues to Dicle (Tigris) River at site of Çatakköprü within the district of Silvan on the border between the provinces of Diyarbakır and Batman. It is constructed at the narrowest section of the riverbed. The bridge is located approximately 104 km away from the modern city center of Diyarbakır, on the Ahlat highway which provides connection between the city of Diyarbakır via Van and Bitlis. The location of the bridge is also important as it is at the intersection point which provides connection to the northern Syria via Hasankeyf and Mardin as well as to the northern Mesopotamia through Midyat.

　　According to the epigraph dating to the year 1147, the bridge was constructed during Artuqids period and it was commissioned by Temür-tash of Mardin, son of Ilghazi and grandson of Artuq Bey. The bridge is deemed to be synthesized through the cultural accumulation attained by the Artuqids Dynasty, settled in Mardin, Diyarbakır and Hasankeyf, and the engineering - architectural genius of the northern Iran and the Antique and Medieval Age architecture in Anatolia. The bridge has survived with all its essential parts which has been functional since 12th century and is still in use for its original purpose today.

　　The bridge is the longest spanned stone arch bridge in the world with its pointed arch of 40.86m. Total length of the bridge is 281.67m., width 7.15 m. and a height, up to the keystone of the low water level is 24.50m. It also has five arches with the main arch at the middle. The efforts to settle the foundation of the bridge on the solid rocks caused an irregular geometry of the design. The span of the bridge crosses perpendicular to the river, but the roadway is at an angle to the river, so there are angular breaks in the east and west approaches. The approaches rise from ground level to meet the main span, which is a pointed arch high over the deepest part of the river. The arches of the bridge are bi-centered. There is an (0.40m height profile) ornamental belt (arşivolt) that continues along the main arch stone at 1.20 m height.

　　The bridge was built of ashlars and rubble stones of different size and dimensions. Brick was also used, especially for the construction of the vaulted ceiling of the chambers. In the bridge deck superstructure, chambers were built of brick vaults in order to relieve the pressure on the foundation. These chambers were also separately functioned. Evliya Çelebi, states in his travel book that there exist iron gates on both ends of the bridge in the form of portcullis and that travelers had to pay tribute tax when passing by the bridge. In addition, researchers, such as H. Von Moltke, Carl Ritter and A.Gabriel who travelled through Anatolia in 19th and 20th centuries contributed to provide important written and visual documents about the bridge.

　　Uprising as a continuity of spandrel walls, the parapets were constructed by the use of rough stone. To the upstream of the bridge, there exist triangularly shaped flood splitters while to the downstream side, such flood splitters are circular in form with pointed cones embroidered with human figures, lion and sun reliefs. The frontal pattern of the bridge is asymmetric. The bridge rises at an elevation of 12-20% up to the largest arch and descends at a rate of 17- 19% to Batman side which gives the bridge an environmentally harmonious shape.