Bridging Large Spans from Antiquity to the Present: proceedings of the IASS-MSU International Symposium: May 29-June 2, 2000, İstanbul-Turkey

Abstract

Bridges havc an importanı place in the worlc ofıhe gıeat 16. century Architect Sinan, who described himself as a "technical engineer. Though thcy were not numcrous, ali thesc masonry bridges arc actually wcll-prescrvcd; their main supporting clcrnents arc archcs; thcy provided critical passages on importanı roads; the construcıion of thc foundations of somc of ıhcm displayed inıeresıing aspects; thcy occupy a special placc with rcgard to ıhc historical devclopmenı in the fields of construction, transportation and gcotcchnics of civil enginecring, Nine bridges appcar in the listings by Sinan. Eight oıher bridges are also aıtributcd ıo Sinan by various sources, although they were noı menıioned in thc lisıings. Some oıher important oııoman bridges, like the bridgc wiıh a span of 29 m on Nerctva in Mostar, arc cithcr consırucıed by senior assistants of Sinan, or do not daıc from Sinan's period.