15th Century Edirne Stone Bridges

Abstract

Ottoman Architecture, 14th century to the beginning of the 20th century; The three stylistic activities of the early period (14th-15th century), the Classical Period (15th-17th century) and the Westernization Period (17th-19th century) created one of the richest architectural repertoires in history. Ottoman architecture, which is influential in a wide geography on three continents, has undergone great changes over time and developed itself by synthesizing all the cultures that have ever existed on the lands it dominated. The bridge architecture to be discussed in this article is one of the most important building types of this great architectural tradition. Since the early years of the Empire, numerous bridges have been built in Europe. The Ottoman state was opened to Europe by its bridges over small and large rivers over these lands. In this review; 15th century Edirne bridges which are among the most important bridges built by the Ottomans in this early year are discussed. During the Ottoman period in addition to the construction of new bridges, it is also seen that it was used by repairing the ones from previous periods. This also allows for situations such as the interaction of cultures, the reinterpretation of the architectural features of the work from a different perspective. The areas where bridges are frequently seen are areas that are very rich in waterways. Examples are not only seen on large rivers, but also on smaller and smaller streams in the settlements. Edirne, which was an important position during the Ottoman period, has very important examples of bridge architecture because it is rich in rivers. These examples are not only found in the city center, but also in districts and villages The Edirne bridges, whose dimensions, architectural features and periods when they were built, have survived to this day in good and solid condition. The bridges examined have been handled in terms of the river in which they are located, the number of eyes they have, the arch forms, their understanding of decoration and their current usage. In this research, Uzunköprü, Muradiye Stone Bridge, II. Bayezid Bridge, Saraçhane Bridge and Fatih Bridge were examined.