The historical bridges in the Kizilirmak River Basin

The basin formed by Kızılırmak and its tributaries, as one of the largest hydrological basins of our country, has been a land area where many cultures have passed through and left an impact throughout history. The concrete indicator of this influence is cultural assets and especially architectural and engineering works. One of the important groups among these structures is the water structures directly related to the river formation. Among the water structures, bridges are the type of structure of which a significant number of examples have survived to the present day. Bridges crossing large and small rivers as a part of the road system are river crossings that enable people to reach their destinations, connect societies to each other, and are of vital importance for armies and merchants. The construction of these structures, especially those crossing wide river beds, weak soils and narrow straits, requires a highly technical knowledge, an analytical ability to evaluate many factors together, a developed workforce and organisation, and high costs. It cannot be doubted that the building masons of the period and the personnel in their teams were well-equipped engineers, architects, craftsmen and observers. There is no doubt that they had a good understanding of topography, observed hydrological events, estimated flow rates, knew geometry, algebra, mathematics and physics. These people, who were able to implement the existing knowledge of the period in their works, were able to create works that have survived despite the passing centuries. Of course, it cannot be said that every structure can be built by making extremely good calculations and without bypassing any risk factor, and these bridges have either been lost among the ruthlessness of time or they have been kept standing with great difficulty and great maintenance labour. Within the scope of this thesis, thirteen bridges with historical, architectural and engineering features built on the Kızılırmak River from the beginning until the proclamation of the Republic were included, and detailed source research was carried out, dated, structural and architectural features were discussed and their place in our architectural history was evaluated. In addition, some of the small bridges in the tributaries are also briefly mentioned. Other topics covered include the value of bridges as an indispensable element of the road network, the value they added to the roads used by cultures in Anatolia, the importance of their location, the identity of their builders, their effects on settlements, their place in our bridge building tradition and their differences with neighbouring cultures.