Old Bridge, Hasankeyf

The Old Bridge of Hasankeyf is a medieval structure built between 1147 and 1167 under the Artuqid dynasty, which ruled across upper Mesopotamia. Once a four-arched span and one of the most significant river crossings in Anatolia, it was repaired by the Ayyubids and Aq Qoyunlu in the 14th and 15th centuries before collapsing around the mid-17th century. For hundreds of years, the surviving stone-and-brick piers stood as landmarks rising from the Tigris, making them visual anchors of Hasankeyf's ancient identity. In 2020, the piers were submerged by the reservoir created by the Ilısu Dam — a fate that years of international protest by archaeologists and human rights groups failed to prevent. Depending on water levels, remnants of the piers still break the surface, offering a haunting glimpse of a structure that once connected civilizations across one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited settlements.