Located in Esfahan (a city of Esfahan province)
Five Remarkable Bridges that are more than 400-Years-Old
The majestic Sydney Harbour Bridge is certainly one of the most instantly recognisable bridges in the world. However, the iconic Coathanger is a mere infant when compared against some of the bridges around the world.While this list is by no means exhaustive, we take a look at some of our favourite old-worThe breathtakingly beautiful Khaju Bridge (pictured above)
Khaju Bridge (Persian: پل خواجو Pol-e Khaju) is arguably the finest bridge in the province of Isfahan, Iran.[1] It was built by the Persian Safavid king, Shah Abbas II around 1650 C.E., on the foundations of an older bridge. Serving as both a bridge, and a dam (or a weir), it links the Khaju quarter on the north bank with the Zoroastrian quarter across the Zayandeh River.
Khaju Bridge has 24 arches and is 133 Metres long and 12 metres wide. The pass way of the bridge is 7.5 meters wide, made of bricks and stones with 21 larger and 26 smaller inlet and outlet channels. The pieces of stone used in this bridge are over 2 meters long and the distance between every channel and the ceiling base is 21 meters. The existing inscriptions suggest that the bridge was repaired in 1873.
An ingenious triumph
The bridge could control the flow of water through the use of sluices, damming the river if required. On either side in the middle there is a pair of royal pavilions where the Shah could be entertained by musicians. There are additional paired pavilions at either end. On the Guerbistan side , and downstream, is a statue of a lion with a man’s head in its mouth. A clever piece of engineering is that on the downstream side, the hard stone outflow skirt’ has been shaped in such a way so that the water flow resembles the profile of a cypress tree . Absolute genius!
