Gavmishan Bridge Explained

Gavmishan Bridge
Native Name:پل گاومیشان
Native Name Lang:Persian
Crosses:Seymareh River
Locale:Border of Ilam and Lorestan Provinces
Maint:ICHTO
Heritage:Iran National Heritage List
Id:2222
Id Type:Registry Number
Design:Arch
Material:Mortar, Brick and Rock
Length:175m (574feet)
Width:8.2m (26.9feet)
Traversable:No
Mainspan:33.7m (110.6feet)
Number Spans:6
Piers In Water:2
Life:Around 1400 years
Complete:Late Sasanian Era
Opening:-->
Collapsed:During Muslim Conquest of Persia

Gavmishan Bridge is a historic bridge in Darreh Shahr County, Ilam Province, Iran. The bridge was built in the late Sasanian era on Karkheh River, parts of which constitute the modern-day border of Ilam and Lorestan provinces.[1] [2] It is 175m (574feet) in length and about 8m (26feet) in width. It has the longest arch span among the ancient bridges in Iran and the world. Many experts consider it an engineering feat, considering the time when it was built, the material used and the floods it has withstood during its age of 1,400 years.[3] [4]

It is believed that the bridge was intentionally destroyed by the Persian army to stop or slow down the invasion of Arabs during the Muslim Conquest of Persia in the 7th century.[5]

Location

The bridge passes Karkheh river, which is the confluence of Seymareh and Kashkan rivers. Nowadays, Seymareh and Karkheh indicate the eastern border of Ilam Province.

It is 20 km east of Darreh Shahr, and 30 km from Pol-e Dokhtar, near the modern bridge.

Restoration

According to texts, the bridge was once restored by Vaali of Posht-Kooh about 200 years ago.

Being on the border of Ilam and Lorestan provinces has resulted in many disputes regarding ownership of the bridge. Nevertheless, the latest restoration took place between 2005 and 2008 with funding from Ilam province.

References

  1. Web site: Gavmishan Bridge 2019 : Tourist attraction in Dareh Shahr, Travel to IRAN. www.sirang.com. Sirang Rasaneh. itto.org Iran Tourism & Touring. 2019-06-21.
  2. Web site: پل گاومیشان. Touristgah. June 21, 2019.
  3. Web site: Gavmishan Bridge in Tranquil Corner of Western Iran - Tourism news. Tasnim News Agency. en. 2019-07-26.
  4. Web site: گاومیشان؛ حیرت انگیز ترین پل تاریخی غرب کشور. 2014-03-17. خبرگزاری مهر اخبار ایران و جهان Mehr News Agency. fa. 2019-07-26.
  5. Web site: Gavmishan Bridge. Iran tour - DanaTrips. en. 2019-07-23. 2019-07-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20190723093948/https://www.danatrips.com/gavmishan-bridge/. dead.