The bridge stands on the road from Kahta up to Mount Nemrut, about ten kilometres past the Karakuş tumulus, at the Sincik–Kocahisar fork. It is also called the Roman Bridge or the Bridge of Septimius Severus: it was built on the orders of that emperor (AD 193–211) by the XVI Legion, then garrisoned at Samosata, across the Cendere stream. The stream runs through a gorge, and the gorge — cendere — gave the bridge its name.
It is 120 metres long, 7 wide and 30 high, built of dressed stone blocks weighing tons apiece, in two arches: the main span and a relief arch. The striking thing about it is that no mortar was used. The deck rises as a ramp from each bank and meets in the middle, which both stiffens the structure and gives it the look of a monument.
At either side of the southern entrance stands a Corinthian column.
Getting there
- Access
- Fifty-five kilometres along the Sincik road in the Kahta district of Adıyaman. Reached from the centre by private car or on a tour.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Adıyaman as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from 4.7 °C in January to 31.1 °C in July; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in April, May and October; rainfall is heaviest in January (137 mm) and lightest in July (2 mm). Long-term means for 1963-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
