Cendere Koprusu (Chabinas Bridge), Adiyaman

This well-preserved Roman bridge crossing the Cendere (the ancient Chabinas) at a point where the river emerges from an impressive gorge into the wide valley of the Kahta Cayi, was built between A.D. 198 and 200 by the "legio XVI Flavia firma", stationed in Samosata (Samsat). According to an inscription four Kommagene towns financed the building of the single- arched bridge with its span of 34.2m/112ft. One of the original four dedicatory columns (to Septimus Severus, his wife lulia Domna and their sons Caracalla and Geta), the one to Geta, was taken down in A.D. 212, part of an attempt to obliterate any reminder of Caracalla’s having had his brother and co-ruler removed.

Author: Arif Cagrici