Uzunköprü Bridge
Uzunköprü in 2008
Coordinates	41°16′28″N 26°40′42″E / 41.2745°N 26.6784°E / 41.2745; 26.6784
Crosses	Ergene River
Locale	Uzunköprü, Edirne, Turkey
Characteristics
Total length	1,306.2 metres (4,285 ft)
Width	6.80 metres (22.3 ft)
No. of spans	174
History
Construction start	1426 or 1427
Construction end	1443 or 1444
Location

Uzunköprü (tr. Long Bridge), formerly Cisr-i Ergene is a 15th-century Ottoman stone bridge, which gave its name to the town of Uzunköprü. Claimed to be the world's longest stone bridge, Uzunköprü was built to make crossing the Ergene river easier for troops during high tide. Wooden bridges had already existed in its place before, but were destroyed easily. Construction started in 1426 or 1427, and ended in 1443 or 1444. It had a length of 1,392 metres (4,567 ft), spanning 174 arches. The stones include several figured and motives, which were changed over time.

The bridge had several restorations due to earthquakes and floods, which decreased the length and the amount of arches. Uzunköprü was widened to 6.80 metres (22.3 ft) and the surface was covered with steel and concrete in 1971. The bridge was closed to traffic in September 2021 for another restoration after several cracks appeared in the stones. The restoration also aims to unearth some of the buried arches.

Occasional high tides at Ergene made the crossings of Ottoman military expeditions into Rumelia difficult. The location of the bridge is an area with clay and sandstone,^[1] 47 kilometres (29 mi) south from Edirne.^[2] The area wasn't a suitable place for living until the Ottoman era, and people initially resided at higher places.^[1]

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. After the land was cleared up from spinose structures,^[3] Murad II ordered a new stone bridge to be made long and strong so that it was still crossable during high tides.^[4]

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Construction on the bridge was started in 1426 or 1427 by head architect Muslihiddin and craftsman Mehmed, and ended in 1443 or 1444.^[5] Stones were sourced from quarries in Yağmurca, Eskiköy and Hasırcıarnavut. The bridge was build on a foundation of natural limestone. Khorasan mortar was used to bind the stones together. At places where the bridge legs weren't on stones or strong foundations, stakes were used to support the weight.^[6] Once the foundation was ready, the stones making up the arches were laid using wooden molds in the shapes of the arches. This was only possible during dry periods. At wet periods or at places where the river was running, the formwork was placed in special slots, which is a difficult process. This is seen as the reason as to why construction took sixteen years.^[7]

The bridge was named Cisr-i Ergene, meaning "Ergene Brigde". A mosque, imaret and madrasa was also built. Additionally, the Yaylar village was founded on the western end of the bridge, while the Uzunköprü was founded on the eastern end of the bridge.^[8] The bridge was opened for use with a ceremony attended by Murad II himself, who was returning from the Battle of Varna.^[3]

In 1546, several waterways and mills at the Ergene, as well as the Uzunköprü Bridge were repaired. This was the first recorded restoration of the bridge.^[3] The first major restoration was in 1620. In 1823, due to earthquakes and floods, four arches of the bridge collapsed. Three larger arches were built as a replacement. Some repairs took place in 1891.^[9] Due to frequent earthquakes in the late 19th-century, three more arches collapsed in 1901. Construction of two arches in their place ended in 1904.^[4]

In 1908, the municipality removed some of the stones making up the railings to be used in drinking fountains inside the town.^[5] There were two mills next to the bridge, one was in 1956 due to floods during a harsh winter in the area, while the other was destroyed some time before.^[10] From 1964 to 1971, the width of the bridge was expanded by 150 centimetres (4.9 ft) during a restoration by the General Directorate of Highways. The top of the bridge was also covered with a 20 centimetres (0.66 ft) layer of steel and concrete.^[9]

A new concrete bridge built by the General Directorate of Highways was opened in 2013 as an alternative, which also banned heavy vehicles from using the historic bridge.^[11][12] In 2015, the bridge was added to the UNESCO World Heritage Site Tentative List in the Cultural category.^[13]

In early 2019, cracks started to appear on the stones at the base that could be seen every 50–60 metres (160–200 ft). 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.^[14] 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.^[15] In September 2021, the bridge was completely closed to all sorts of traffic for restoration. The restoration is expected to take around three and a half years.^[16]

When built, the bridge was 1,392 metres (4,567 ft) long and 5.24 metres (17.2 ft) wide, and had 174 arches. The largest arch had a span of 14 meters.^[5] When it was first completed, the structure was the longest bridge 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 in Istanbul.^[17] Uzunköprü is still claimed to be the longest stone bridge in the world.^[18] Some of the arches are pointed and some are round.^[19] On the stones of the abutments, figures of animals such as elephants, lions and birds can be found, some of which are no longer visible.^[20] Some motives related to the Seljuk Empire can also be found.^[21]

There are two balconies on the bridge. One is above arches 40 and 41, and is 3.40 metres (11.2 ft) by 0.40 metres (1.3 ft). The other balcony is above arches 102 and 103, and measures 9.40 metres (30.8 ft) by 0.40 metres (1.3 ft).^[19]

The number of arches dropped to 172 after rebuilds. An additional eight were buried underground, meaning that there are 164 arches.^[4] The restorations which started in 2021 aim to unearth several of the arches.^[22] When visiting the town in 1658, famous Ottoman explorer Evliya Çelebi said that the bridge was 2000 streched steps long.^[23]The length of the bridge was measured to be 1,266 metres (4,154 ft) in 1978 and 1,254 metres (4,114 ft) in 1989.^[24] In 2018 however, the bridge was determined to be 1,306.2 metres (4,285 ft) long, when it was measured to appear in the The Guinness Book of World Records.^[14] It is believed that some figures and motives were altered during restorations preceding the 19th-century.^[25]

• Kahraman, Seyit Ali; Dağlı, Yücel (2011). Günümüz Türkçesiyle Evliya Çelebi Seyahatnâmesi (in Turkish). Yapı Kredi Yayınları. ISBN 9750824326.
• Yüksel, Fethi Ahmet; Bülbül, Ahmet Hamdi; Gündüz, Müslüm (2011). "Uzunköprü (Cisr-i Ergene)". Restorasyon ve Konservasyon Çalışmaları Dergisi (in Turkish) (7): 104. ISSN 1309-7016. Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 30 May 2022.
• Özkök, Mete Korhan; Azsöz, Gökben; Erşan, Şevket (15 May 2015). "Erken ve Klasik Dönem (14.-17. Yy) Osmanlı Köprülerinin Tarihsel Gelişimlerinin ve Yapım Tekniklerinin İncelenmesi: Edirne/Uzunköprü Örneği". Kırklareli University (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 28 May 2022. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
• Tanyeli, Gülsün (February 2018). "Türkiye Köprüleri" (PDF). Mühendislik Mimarlık Öyküleri (in Turkish) (8). Union of Chambers of Turkish Engineers and Architects: 224. ISBN 9786050111606. Archived (PDF) from the original on 14 August 2021. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
• Şimşek, Mehmet (2019). 19. Yüzyılda Cisr-i-Ergene Kazasında Nüfus ve Sosyal Yapı (PDF) (Doctoral) (in Turkish). Erciyes University. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

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Category:Bridges completed in 1443 Category:Arch bridges in Turkey Category:Stone bridges in Turkey Category:Ottoman bridges in Turkey Category:Buildings and structures in Edirne Province Category:Road bridges in Turkey Category:World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey