Hadrian Bridge

Another bridge, I had to make an effort not to get buried in history and focus on the bridge.

Hadrian Bridge or Taşköprü (meaning stone bridge) is a symbol of Adana. It is constructed by Emperor Hadrian who ruled from 117-138 and rebuilt by Justinian who ruled 527-565.

It is crossing Seyhan (Saros) river.

Indeed there is no justification on Hadrian to built the bridge but it is all agreed in reference books.

Bridge by Edwin John Davis published in Life in Asiatic Turkey in 1879

As long as I worked on it, I come across with surprising information and now it is time to summarize them all otherwise it may never end.

Bridge has always been busy, Source: Internet

Fascinating engineering fact is the bridge is skewed about 30 degrees, I did not come across yet to a skew Roman bridge. It is perpendicular to its abutments and skew (aligned) with the water current.

Another fact is there was a building in the middle at some stage and also arches at entrances.

A structure in the middle of the bridge, some sources mention this as casino

The last outstanding fact is the Architect of the bridge; Auxentius is named in the inscription. He is probably the one mentioned by Symmachus describing the event for the bridge “Pont Probi” in Rome. According to the event: Symmachus had been investigating the case involving two people who had senatorial rank and has been trusted with public money in order to build basilica and bridge: Auxentius and Cyrides. They were suspected of spending funds. Auxentius surprisingly disappeared in 382 immediately after the initiation of the investigation.

If it is true that bridge is existed during Hadrian than Auxentius either repaired it or rebuilt the collapsed bridge.

Bridge from North Side, Source: Internet

The historian Procopius records in the Buildings of Justinian, written in about 557 AD, that Justinian I, ordered the rebuilding of the bridge:

"The Sarus is navigable and quite impossible for men on foot to ford. So in ancient times, an enormous and very notable bridge was constructed here. It was built in the following fashion. At many points in the river piers of massive blocks of stone was rest upon its bed, built to a great thickness and forming a line extending across the entire width of the stream and in height rising far above high water. Above each pair of piers spring arches which rise to a great height, spanning the open space between them. The foundations of the pier which risked to be below the water and so was constantly scoured by its powerful current had, in time beyond the accounts, became mostly destroyed. So the whole bridge appeared likely, after no long time, to fall into the river. Eventually, people crossing over the bridge had to pray for the bridge to remain intact if only during the moment of their crossing. But the Emperor Justinian dug another channel for the river and forced the river to change its course temporarily; and then getting the masonry, which I have just mentioned, free from the water and removing the damaged portions, he rebuilt them without any delay and then returned the river to its former path, which they call the "bed." Thus then were these things done."

Bridge from South Side, Source: Internet

The bridge:

The bridge is stretching on the west to east direction and crossing Sarus River which flows to Mediterranean. It is 300m long and has 14 main spans currently. There are 5 openings between spans for the water discharge. These openings placed randomly on the current bridge; 4 of them are in between the 5 east spans and there is one between span 7 and 8. From photos, another one can be seen between spans 9 and 10 but his one has been closed.

Bridge by KantarAtlas-2008

Eastern 5 span by KantarAtlas-2008

Cutwaters for piers are also not regular nowadays.

The bridge rises to 12m in the middle with a height difference of 2.5m from its approaches.

Bridge drawn by Architect :Ahmet Pekcan Işık

The width of the bridge varies but the mean value is 9.5m reaches to max 11m. This is a remarkable width compared to other bridges of the era.

Drawn by William Hanry Barlett, 1838 and Engraved by William Taylor. Published in book "The Holy Land,Asia Minor &c.Illustrated" with a name “Camp of Ibrahim Pasha, Near ADANA"

The current bridge has 10 original spans, other 4 spans on the east side should be the ones constructed during 1840 repairs. These 4 spans are smaller in dimensions and probably they replaced original 2 spans.

Ottoman Traveler, Evliya Çelebi: "The Bridge has 21 spans, 16 large and 5 small and 500 steps in length. There was a castle like towers with battlements and strong doors. Doors were protected by watchers day and night. A tax called “ bac “ collected on city side door from the merchants. Criminals were caught on the doors and handed over to authorities. "

Bridge had many visitors, Victor Langlois, visit (1852-1853) show the bridge with a door

500 steps is about 400m if a man step is considered 80cm, this refers to the much longer bridge and also 16 spans confirms this as currently there is 12 original span. Obviously, bridge approaches have been lost and buried in soil with time.

Bridge with its Door Source: Internet

Çulpan (1969): provides a good explanation for the stepped cutwaters. This feature also exists in Amasya Meydan Bridge and Üsküp Bridge in Macedonia both Ottoman bridges. Culpan explains these steps to mark the water level changes seasonally.

Closer look to steep cutwaters of the bridge,

Source: Güney Mimarlık-Mart 2012 Interview: Ahmet Pekcan Işık

In 2007 the bridge was closed to motorized vehicles. Since then, it has become a site for social and cultural events.

The bridge deck was paved with “cobblestone” which was built by Adana Governor Süleyman Bahri Paşa (1899–1908).

A pavilion supported on four columns was built midway across the bridge by the Governor Mahmut Paşa but was later demolished.

Bridge from North Side, Source: Internet

Local historian Nureddin Önen (1944) also mentions the stone castles for security people at the entrances of the bridge and doors. He mentions the one on the west side is collapsed and the city side one still remaining and functional until the recent time (1944). Another Information is: the money collected from users as 10 from the load carrying equestrian and 40 from carriages used for the Hamidiye Industrial School.

Bridge Today used during Ramadan Dinner , Iftar set up, Source: Internet

Material:

Bridge was generally built of tufa and marble. Strong stones used in foundations and then spans are constructed with tuff, which is a stone made from volcanic rock.

According to Ramazanoğlu “stone “as a material is not available in this alluvial region. Therefore both stone and masons are imported for bridge construction. Tuff is brought from Cali Mountain 12km east of the bridge and stronger stones came from Misis, a city 22km away from the site.

Decorations and Marks on Bridge:

Seyyide Çelikkol (1946) describes the lion relief on the north side of the 11th arch from western side. Lions have a part from each other’s and back to back to each other’s and looking to each other’s over their shoulders.

Lion Relief on bridge, Source: Cumhuriyet Newspaper Archieve-

Western side first span is holding start-and-crescent artwork on the wall.

Moon and star on the wall under the bridge , Ramazanoglu

Structure History:

Many restorations and repairs mentioned in different sources. Only some will be mentioned below:

The oldest recorded Ottoman repair was during the reign of Ahmet III in 1713. An edict issued by Osman Pasha, the governor of Adana, commanding the repair of the older parts of the bridge survives in the records of the Adana Shari'a Court. Another record dates to 1734 for the repair of pavement and parapet together with a collapsed span.

Later restorations can be marked with the inscriptions:

Adana Ethnography Museum houses an inscription (Inventory Nos. 505 and 506) placed on the bridge after restoration work in 1847, during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülmecid I.

Further restoration work was commissioned by Governor Osman Pasha during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II, as recorded by an inscription at the Adana Archeological Museum (Inventory No. 2469).

Inscriptions:

Greek inscription is marble with 12 lines. It is 93x122x12cm in dimensions and preserved in Adana Archaeology Museum with Inventory no: 1266.

Latin inscription of the Bridge,

According to this inscription, the bridge was built by Auxentius, who is most probably the architect from 4th century in the Roman period.

Latin Inscription text by Laborde

I have combined the various translations, given by Schneider and Langlois, to make the meaning clear.

It is indeed a miracle of your genius, Auxentius!

Having built, for a river with impetuous waves, an indestructible bed,

To the foundations of iron, over which street has been stretched.

The more advanced, the more inexperienced the persons attempted;

But these were weak even for the ripples of the Cydnus (Tarsus)

You have built it on arches for eternity.

And even the overflowing river obeys the estate (Praese), which is very famous for it.

Which is your reputation as the Nile waves are joined together at the bottom

Some writer interprets the ‘estate’ as prince and refers to Justinian.

Another is the mention of Cydnus River instead Sarus which bridge is crossing over. There are many comments but the logical so far seems that this river mentioned describing the relevant works of Architect Auxentius.

From inscription, we understand that the foundations had iron elements used to connect stones.

1846 Abdülmecit Inscriptions:

This restoration is needed as the city and bridge were severely damaged by Egyptians when they left the city after their invading settlement. Moreover, 1845 flood had increased the damage. Abdülmecit ordered the repair of the bridge.

Two inscriptions about this repair are carved on marble. The inscription was placed on gates which were at both ends of the bridge.

Both inscriptions were written by Ziver Pasha in taliq form and had the Sultans tughra on top of them.

Ziver Pasa (1739-1862) an Ottoman statesman who wrote most of the poems for the inscriptions of many buildings during the reigns of the sultans Mahmud (1808-1839) and Abdulmecid (1839-1861).

1st inscription: Usually dates of the structures was given by "abjad" which is the numerical value of the last line of the inscription. Ziver Pasa is famous for using different way called "mujhem" in which the date is the numerical value of the dotted letters.

When the dotted letters are counted in their numerical values the result is found as 1263 Hicri ( 1846 Miladi)

2nd inscription: Date is given with ta’miye, i.e. an enigma. In that he provided the date in the numerical value of all letters of the last line. However describes a subtraction of "one " year in the preceding row.

In this poem the last line gives the number 1264. Second line from bottom is “look at the date given with "dropping" tears from Ziver’s ink” meaning that number one will be subtracted from 1264. Number “one” is obtained from the shape “ elif “ which is described by the shape of the tears from ink.

Ziver yel-i kiklin gözinden akdı bir tarih bak

Sultan-ı Bahreyn eyledi abad bu cisri, metin

1879 Abdulhamid inscription: This inscription is also written in taliq form on marble. It consists of two pieces and each has 4 rows. Sultan’s tughra at the top is broken.

The text gives the information that the repair is done during the Governor Ziya Pasha. Inscription or poem is written by “Mektupçu (Letter writer) Nazım”.