Author |
Share Topic Topic Search Topic Options
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Topic: Is it the largest ancient bridge? Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 08:26 |
|
Pol-e Dokhtar |
|
Pol-e Dokhtar |
Pol-e Dokhtar: Sasanian bridge on the river Kashkan, near the place where it empties itself in the Karkheh (ancient Choaspes).
Pol-e Dokhtar means "bridge of the daughter", and is probably named after a daughter of the builder of this bridge, the Sasanian king Shapur I (241-272). However, the word dokhtar also expresses the wish that the construction remains pure and "intact" like a virgin, and is not an uncommon name in Iran (at Bishapur is a "castle of the daughter"). |
|
|
The bridge's dimensions are truly enormous: it is about 270 meters long and rises about 30 meters above water level. Eight arches were necessary to span the river Kashkan, the upper course of the Choaspes (modern Karkheh). The Pol-e Dokhtar was part of the Royal road, which connected the Persian capitals Istakhr and Bishapur with towns in central and northern Mesopotamia, like Ctesiphon, Arbela, Hatra, Nisibis, and Edessa. |
|
|
Although the bridge was repaired on several occasions, today, only one arch survives. It is wide enough to offer room for a modern road |
Edited by Cyrus Shahmiri - 02-Feb-2010 at 07:20
|
|
|
Suren
Arch Duke
Chieftain
Joined: 10-Feb-2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1673
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 08:35 |
Thank you Cyrus. Another monument which has been abandon by Islamic Republic instead of restoring.
|
Anfører
|
|
Knights
Caliph
suspended
Joined: 23-Oct-2006
Location: AUSTRALIA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3224
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 09:13 |
It's certainly monumental. There is another huge bridge in Iran built by Roman Emperor Valerian (whilst captive) in return for his freedom, called the Shadravan Bridge.
|
|
Suren
Arch Duke
Chieftain
Joined: 10-Feb-2006
Location: United States
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1673
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 09:21 |
Shadorvan is correct. We use Shadravan for those who has passed away in Persian.
|
Anfører
|
|
Knights
Caliph
suspended
Joined: 23-Oct-2006
Location: AUSTRALIA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3224
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 09:37 |
Thanks for the correction - I was unsure of the spelling. A worthy competitor would surely be Trajan's Bridge over the Danube in Dacia. It is truly epic, and as far as I am aware, it is the largest Roman Bridge - 1150m long and up to 20m high (so not quite as high as the Pol-E Doktar), and 15m wide. It was only built in 2 years because the part of the river (which is 800m wide) was diverted. My source on the measurements is Wikipedia, by the way.
|
|
Menumorut
Chieftain
Joined: 02-Jun-2006
Location: Romania
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 1423
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 12:02 |
Another Roman bridge over Danube was built in 328 (under Constantine the Great) between Sucidava (Romania) and Oescus (Bulgaria). It was 2400 m long and is considered the biggest bridge of Antiquity.
See the info on this link this link and
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constantine's_Bridge
Edited by Menumorut - 26-Dec-2008 at 12:36
|
|
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 17:34 |
Ancient bridges of Iran had mostly impressive heights, for example the ancient bridge of Tabas was originally more than 60 meters high!
Edited by Cyrus Shahmiri - 26-Dec-2008 at 17:35
|
|
|
Knights
Caliph
suspended
Joined: 23-Oct-2006
Location: AUSTRALIA
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 3224
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 26-Dec-2008 at 22:33 |
That is epic, Cyrus. The Alcantara Bridge over the Tagus River in Spain is another huge one built by the Romans under Trajan. It still stands at 71m high. Unfortunately there aren't many photos which give a true depiction of its proportional height.
|
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 27-Dec-2008 at 07:37 |
|
|
|
Truthisnotrelitive
Housecarl
Joined: 13-Oct-2008
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 32
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 27-Dec-2008 at 09:46 |
you have to admire the mathematics involved in designing such structures hi syris sharmiri who built the iranian bridge depicted in your post?
|
a man sees as he wishes
|
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 27-Dec-2008 at 11:53 |
Originally posted by Truthisnotrelitive
you have to admire the mathematics involved in designing such structures hi syris sharmiri who built the iranian bridge depicted in your post?
|
I don't think that we know it.
|
|
|
opuslola
Tsar
suspended
Joined: 23-Sep-2009
Location: Long Beach, MS,
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4620
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 24-Mar-2010 at 09:05 |
Cyrus, regarding your original post;
http://www.livius.org/k/karkheh/pol-e_dokhtar.html
Thanks for the link! I have a question though. It seems from the photos that this bridge merely ends into facing cliffs! Was it approached by a descending roadway on both sides?
Is flooding on this river such a problem today that such a height was needed? If this was an important link in the past, where is the closest bridge located today?, and how high is it?
Regards,
|
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
|
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 25-Mar-2010 at 14:56 |
opuslola, those are some difficult questions! You are right about bridge ending into cliffs and I really don't know about it, but you can see in the pics that the Kashkan is already a small river, near another huge ancient Sassanid bridge on this river, there is a 26 meters high bridge from early Islamic period (10th century AD) which is still used and heavy vehicles cross it, in these pics you can see both bridges and compare the ancient and modern size of the river:
Edited by Cyrus Shahmiri - 25-Mar-2010 at 15:17
|
|
|
opuslola
Tsar
suspended
Joined: 23-Sep-2009
Location: Long Beach, MS,
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4620
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 25-Mar-2010 at 15:06 |
Dear Cyrus,
Then it seems, the world sometime ago, entered a "dry" period, at least in that part of the world! Or, maybe Iran has built a large dam above this crossing, which controls the amount of water entering it?
Could it be that this was originally an aquaduct?
Maybe you can find out the answer?
Regards,
Edited by opuslola - 25-Mar-2010 at 15:11
|
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
|
|
Cyrus Shahmiri
Administrator
King of Kings
Joined: 07-Aug-2004
Location: Iran
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 6240
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 25-Mar-2010 at 15:52 |
Dams have been built in Iran from very ancient times but I don't know about the reason for this large change in the size of the Kashkan river basin more than at least 1,000 years ago, it would be certainly easier to repair the old bridge, instead of building a new one, if the size of the river was not changed.
|
|
|
opuslola
Tsar
suspended
Joined: 23-Sep-2009
Location: Long Beach, MS,
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4620
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 25-Mar-2010 at 18:48 |
A simple post whould then be;
WHY?
Highest regards,
|
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
|
|
unclebens
Immortal Guard
Joined: 01-Nov-2011
Location: 121312er
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 02-Nov-2011 at 03:57 |
Shushtar is also known for a series of powerful mill-races, still in use
in recent times, making it one of the economic centers of western Iran. The
Sassanians also developed and exploited the system of underground canals known
as qanaats, which brought water often over huge distances from the springs at
the foot of the mountains ranges to the remoter desert areas. Persian gardens, a
feature of Iranian civilization at all periods, are one feature of this
sophisticated control of the water supply. |
|
|
|
opuslola
Tsar
suspended
Joined: 23-Sep-2009
Location: Long Beach, MS,
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 4620
|
Quote Reply
Posted: 12-Dec-2013 at 01:03 |
I am ashamed for the Iranian people that they have allowed most of the world to be banned from seeing this wonderful area of the world, that has been shown to us by Cyrus. At least the few vids of his finds that are still be able to be seen on this site!
Hey, Red Clay, could you restore some or all of those famous views of Iran that he has posted over the years? Possibly you have not even seen them?
Regards, Ron
|
http://www.quotationspage.com/subjects/history/
|
|