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Bridge near Limyra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bridge near Limyra (in Turkish: Kırkgöz Kemeri, "Bridge of the Forty Arches") is a late Roman bridge in Lycia, in modern south-west Turkey, and one of the oldest segmented arch bridges in the world. Located near the ancient city of Limyra, it is the largest civil engineering structure of antiquity in the region, spanning the Alakır Çayı river over a length of 360 m (1,181.1 ft) on 26 segmental arches. These arches, with a span-to-rise ratio of 5.3:1, give the bridge an unusually flat profile, and were unsurpassed as an architectural achievement until the late Middle Ages. Today, the structure is largely buried by river sediments and surrounded by greenhouses. Despite its unique features, the bridge remains relatively unknown, and only in the 1970s did researchers from the Istanbul branch of the German Archaeological Institute carry out field examinations on the site.
Bridge near Limyra | |
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![]() The 4th arch, today half-buried. The exceptionally flat profile of the arch is evident. | |
Coordinates | 36.34887°N 30.20651°E / 36.34887; 30.20651 |
Carries | Pedestrian and pack animal traffic |
Crosses | Alakır Çayı |
Locale | Limyra, Lycia, Turkey |
Official name | Kırkgöz Kemeri |
Heritage status | None |
Characteristics | |
Design | Segmental arch bridge |
Material | Brick, stonemasonry and rubble |
Total length | 360 m (1,181.1 ft) |
Width | 3.55–4.30 m (11.6–14.1 ft) |
Longest span | 14.97 m (49.1 ft) |
No. of spans | 28 (once 27) |
Piers in water | Today approx. 5 |
Load limit | 30 t + 500 kp/m² |
History | |
Construction end | Presumably 3rd century AD |
Location | |
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