Kanuni Bridge

The Kanuni Bridge ("Kanuni Köprüsü") takes its name, like several important bridges in Turkey, from Suleiman the Magnificent (also known in Turkey as Suleiman Kanuni/Suleiman the Law Giver). It continues in a northerly direction the same route as the Fatih Bridge, crossing from the Palace Gardens Island in the middle of the river to the river's north shore.

The Kanuni Bridge was built in 1553/54 during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent by the prolific architect and civil engineer Mimar Sinan. The bridge is a long gently vaulted structure over four very slightly pointed arches the lower portions of which are normally below the water surface, so that the visible parts of the arches appear very shallow. In contrast with the design of the Fatih Bridge of the previous century, there is on the Kanuni Bridge no opening in the pillars separating the four main arches. The pillars of the bridge are supported on each side by stone buttresses with an approximately triangular footprint designed to divert the main river current away from the pillars and under the arches.

The bridge is 65 m (213 ft) long including the abutments at each end. Measured without the abutments it is 43 m (141 ft) long.

The Kanuni Bridge was comprehensively restored in 2007.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Bridges of Edirne" and modified on 8 July 2024 according to the CC-BY-SA 3.0 license.