The Simonents Bridge

The Simonents Bridge

Location

The bridge is located on the Karkar River in the Karintak village of the Shushi region of the Republic of Artsakh (Figs. 1, 2, Karapetyan 2009, 106). The village of Karintak is currently occupied by Azerbaijan.

Fig. 1 General view of the bridge, photo by Research on Armenian Architecture NGO.

Fig. 2 The Bridge's layout and section, photo by Research on Armenian Architecture NGO.

Fig. 3 The Bridge's constructional inscription, photo by Research on Armenian Architecture NGO.

Architectural-compositional examination 

The monument is a single-span bridge; the piers are made of rough, unpolished stones of various sizes, while the arch is built of polished stones. The span's length is 6.2 meters, and the passage's width is 3.30 meters. The bridge is 5.40 meters above sea level (Karapetyan, 2009, 106).

The condition before, during, and after the war

During the Artsakh conflicts, the bridge was not harmed.

Bibliography

  1. Karapetyan 2009 - Karapetyan S., the Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan.

Historical overview

According to the constructional inscription (Figs. 3, 4), the bridge was built in 1838 by Hakob Simonyan. "This bridge was built in 1838 as a symbol of sincere devotion to Christ by Hakob Simonyan," it says. This inscription is based on Samvel Karapetyan's book dedicated to the bridges of Artsakh. We present the text in accordance with that book.

Fig. 4 The Bridge's measurement, photo by Research on Armenian Architecture NGO.

The Simonents Bridge
The Simonents Bridge
The Simonents Bridge
Artsakh