Devegeçidi Bridge

Devegeçidi Bridge, also known as Palu Bridge,[2] Kara Köprü and Sultan Murad IV Köprüsü is a disused stone bridge of seven arches across the Devegeçidi stream 20 km (12 mi) north of Diyarbakır, in southeast Turkey, on the road to Ergani.[1][3][lower-alpha 1] There is a separate bridge across the same stream that is often also called the Devegeçidi Bridge 13.5 km (8.4 mi) to the east, near the stream's confluence with the Tigris river.[3]

Devegeçidi Bridge Devegeçidi Köprüsü
Coordinates	38°03′12″N 40°04′09.3″E
Crosses	Devegeçidi stream
Locale	Diyarbakır Province, Southeastern Anatolia Region, Turkey
Other name(s)	Kurdish: Pira Neqeba Deveyan
Characteristics
Design	Arch bridge
Material	Stone masonry and rubble
Total length	119.17 m (391.0 ft)[1]
Width	6.40 m (21.0 ft)[1]
Longest span	13.70 m (44.9 ft)[1]
No. of spans	7
Piers in water	3
History
Construction end	1218
Location

There are three inscriptions on the southern portion of the bridge, one of which indicates that it was built in 1218 by the Artuqid ruler Melik Salih Nâsıreddin Mahmud.[1] The bridge is made entirely of basalt blocks, some finely dressed others less so and has seven pointed arches, of which the southern two are the broadest.[1] Deve Geçidi Bridge was last repaired in 1972.[1]

The bridge became notorious as an execution site during the Armenian genocide; it is estimated at least 10,000 Armenians from Erzurum Vilayet were executed nearby.[2]