Edirne Bridge is made of stone…
The stone bridges that suit the rivers that carry abundance to Edirne like ribbons and have folk songs written about them add a different meaning to the unique historical texture of the old capital Edirne… They are sometimes complementary to photographic frames, sometimes a source of romance for lovers walking hand in hand…
Edirne Bridges
In addition to being a city of mosques, Edirne is also a city of bridges. All but one of the historical masonry bridges have survived to the present day.
The city of Edirne was founded on fertile lands irrigated by the Meriç, Tunca and Ergene rivers. 11 masonry bridges were built over these rivers and their tributaries formed by their overflowing waters. Of the 9 masonry bridges over the Tunca River and its tributaries, 8 have survived to the present day, and one (Seferşah Bridge) was unfortunately filled in during road construction and disappeared.
Of the other two bridges, one is over the Meriç River, the other is over the Ergene River (Uzunköprü) and has survived to this day. They are still in use today.
Tunca, Masonry bridges over the Meriç and Ergene Rivers
The Tunca River coming from the north splits into two branches just before the Sarayiçi location. In order to connect the city to Sarayiçi, two separate bridges were built on each branch. The Kanuni Bridge (also known as the Saray Bridge ) built by Suleiman the Magnificent is on the first branch. The Fatih Bridge (also known as the Cephanelik Bridge
) next to the Adalet Kasrı built by Fatih Sultan Mehmet is on the second branch. Both branches of the Tunca River passing through these bridges join and their waters meet another bridge after about a kilometer, this bridge is the Şehabeddin Pasha Bridge (known today as the Saraçhane Bridge
) built by Şehabeddin Pasha, one of the viziers of the reign of Sultan Murat II and Fatih Sultan Mehmet. Continuing a little further, the Tunca River splits into two branches again. Edirne was connected to the Ottoman Empire by Sultan II. The first of these two bridges connecting to the Bayezid Complex is the Yalnızgöz Bridge , built by Mimar Sinan upon the order of Sultan II. Selim . On the second branch is the II. Bayezid Bridge built together with the Complex by Sultan II. Bayezid . The next crossing over the Tunca River is the Gazi Mihal Bridge, the first stone bridge in Edirne, built for Gazi Mihal Bey, one of the raider beys . Of the two bridges that were the continuation of the Gazi Mihal Bridge in response to the overflowing waters of the Tunca, the Seferşah Bridge became a fill on the Kapıkule road and has not survived to the present day. The other bridge, the Yıldırım Bridge
Most of them have lost their function but are still in use today.
The last bridge over the Tunca River is known as the Ekmekçioğlu Ahmed Pasha Bridge or Tunca Bridge . Its other name is the Old Bridge . It is the first of the bridges connecting Edirne and Karaağaç.
The only bridge over the Meriç River is the Meriç Bridge , which was started during the reign of Sultan Mahmut II and completed during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid.
The most eye-catching bridge in Edirne is the Uzunköprü or formerly known as the Ergene Bridge in the Uzunköprü district . It is stated that the masonry Ergene Bridge built by Murat II is the second longest stone bridge in the world.
Edirne bridges that have not survived to the present day
Seferşah Bridge
The only masonry bridge among the Edirne bridges that have not survived to the present day is the Seferşah Bridge. It is a two-eyed bridge built next to the Seferşah Mosque in order to drain the waters of the Tunca River overflowing from the Gazi Mihal Bridge and Kemankeş Mustafa Pasha Bridge. III. This bridge, built by Mehmed, unfortunately remained under the E5 highway. The highways filled the bridge bed and eliminated the bridge.
In time, there were several other wooden bridges besides these masonry bridges. These were the bridges connecting the Sarayiçi and the area known as Tavuk Ormanı. These bridges are the Topçular Bridge in the north of Tavuk Ormanı, the Sepetçiler Bridge near Bostancıbaşı Mansion and the Değirmen Bridge in Tavuk Ormanı . These bridges were built of wood and unfortunately disappeared over time.