Sanahin Bridge
Coordinates: 41 ° 5 ′ 57 ″ N , 44 ° 39 ′ 25 ″ E
| Sanahin Bridge | ||
|---|---|---|
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| use | footbridge | |
| Crossing of | Debed | |
| place | Alaverdi (Armenia) | |
| construction | Stone arch bridge | |
| Longest span | 18 m | |
| start of building | 1192 | |
| completion | 1195 | |
| location | ||
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| Above sea level | 1000 m | |
The Sanahin Bridge is a stone bridge from the end of the 12th century over the Debed in the city of Alaverdi in the northern Armenian province of Lori . It is considered to be the oldest preserved bridge in Armenia, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is one of the tourist attractions of the Tumanjan region.
history
According to tradition, the Christian Kingdom of Lori existed in what is now northern Armenia as an independent state in the Caucasus from 979 to 1118 , then it became part of the Kingdom of Georgia . The successors of the rulers from the Kjurikiden dynasty, however, continued to hold the title of king. The Queen Wanenin arranged according to the inscription of a standing near riverside Chatschkars of grief over the death of her late husband, King Abbas II., In 1192 the construction of a bridge below the monastery Sanahin on. The gift to the monastery was intended to increase the reputation of the late king and the founder.
description
The structure was built from basalt and is located at a narrow point in the up to 500 meters deep canyon of the raging mountain river Debed between the Tumanian Strait in the north and the M6 expressway, which passes Alawerdi to the south . The bridge, which is placed on a protruding cliff, has only one arch with a span of 18 meters. The opposite bank forms a rocky steep slope that extends down into the river. When building the bridge, the builders also had to compensate for the height difference between the two banks, which is why the non-navigable bridge was provided with numerous steps that imperceptibly fit into the staircase on the other bank.
The bridge is considered an architectural masterpiece and has solid ashlar masonry that shows hardly any signs of wear and tear from the past 800 years. To decorate the bridge, the parapet walls were provided with stylized lions. Immediately after the bridge, the ascent to the Sanahin Monastery begins , after the bridge is named.
World Heritage
The Sanahin Bridge was added to the World Heritage List together with the Sanahin Monastery in 2000 at the 24th meeting of the World Heritage Committee as an extension of an existing World Heritage site, which has since been called " Haghpat and Sanahin Monasteries ".
literature
- Tessa Hofmann : Armenia - Georgia. Between Ararat and the Caucasus . Mundo-Verlag, Leer 1990, ISBN 3-87322-001-6 , p. 142 .
Web links
- Alaverdi - Center of the Tumanian Region - Description of the tourist attractions
- Current photo series on Panoramio
- Sanahin Bridge. In: Armenian Studies Program. California State University, Fresno , accessed May 14, 2011 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Sanahin Bridge. (No longer available online.) In: Armenian Studies Program. California State University, Fresno , archived from the original on June 10, 2010 ; accessed on May 14, 2011 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
