The Melik Bridge spans the seasonal river in the southwestern part of Khndzristan village, situated in the Askeran region (Fig. 1).
Since September 2023, the village has been under Azerbaijani occupation.
Fig. 1 The Bridge from the east, photo by S. Karapetyan.
Historical overview
The bridge was constructed in the mid-18th century by Melik Mirzakhan of Khachen, who served as the village head of Khndzristan village before being appointed as Melik.
Architectural-compositional examination
It is a single-span bridge constructed with rough stone and lime mortar. The length of the span is 5.15 meters, the passage width is 4.80 meters, and the height above the water level is 7.80 meters. During the Soviet era, the passage was widened by 130 cm to accommodate automobile traffic (Fig. 2; Karapetyan 2009, 88).
Fig. 2 The Bridge from the west, photo by S. Karapetyan.
The condition before, during, and after the war
The bridge remained operational until September 2023. However, there is no available information regarding the current state of the monument.
Bibliography
Karapetyan 2009 - Karapetyan S., Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan.
The Melik bridge of Khndzristan village
The Melik bridge of Khndzristan village The Melik bridge of Khndzristan village Artsakh
