The tender for the restoration of the historic Ani Bridge, located on the border between Armenia and Turkey, has been completed, Turkish Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Abdulkadir Uraloglu announced, APA reports, citing Turkey’s Anadolu news agency.
According to the minister, the tender for restoration work on the historic bridge, located in Turkey’s Kars province, was held on September 16. The corresponding contract was subsequently signed on September 28.
Uraloglu also said the restoration process would be coordinated by a joint commission comprising representatives of Armenia and Turkey. This arrangement is stipulated in a protocol signed by the two countries in Yerevan on May 4.
The Turkish minister also described the current condition of the historic structure. According to him, only the remains of the bridge’s supporting pillars have survived from the 10th-century structure built along the Great Silk Road.
The historic bridge was 80 meters long and 8 meters wide. Its arched section, spanning 31 meters, was destroyed in 1807.
Abdulkadir Uraloglu emphasized that the initiative’s primary objective is to restore one of the most significant historical and cultural monuments along the Great Silk Road.
The project aims to preserve the historic structure and ensure its transmission to future generations as part of the region’s rich historical and cultural heritage.
Ani Bridge was built in the 10th-11th centuries by Armenia’s Bagratuni royal dynasty.
