New Karavaz Bridge :: ARTSAKH HISTORICAL MONUMENTS

New Karavaz Bridge 17 c․

NKR / Jabrayil / Khudaperin

Location

The new bridge of Karavaz is located over the river Arax, at the foot of Mount Diri in Kashatagh District, Republic of Artsakh (RMK), at an altitude of 246 metres above sea level.
Geographical coordinates: N 39°09°02.01,°° E 46°56°24.01.°°

Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

Historical Introduction
12 — 13 cc․

A monument of the 12th to 13th centuries, it bears traces of rebuilding carried out in subsequent periods.

Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

16 c․

One of the references to the new bridge of Karavaz is found in a 16th-century document specifying the borders of the Ottoman Empire: “And their reign extended up to Khudaf[e]rin.”

History by Arakel Davrizhetsy. Yerevan, 1990, p. 57 (the original in Armenian).
Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

1805 — 1817 yy․

In 1817 German diplomat Moritz von Kotzebue wrote the following about the events of 1805: “...General Tsitsianov went to attack Abbas Mirza with twelve thousand men and several cannons and defeated him totally. The king [Fat Ali Shah], who was on this side of the Arax in command of a large army, retreated to the other bank of the river in all haste, and even destroyed the fine bridge of Huderapin, which is still in ruins.”

Hakobian, Hovh. Travel Notes, vol. 6, Yerevan, 1934, p. 520 (the original in Armenian).
Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

Architectural Description
1890 y․

A record of the 1890s offers the following description for the new bridge of Karavaz: “...the lower bridge is likewise built on natural blocks of rock and has fifteen spans with piers of stone and vaults of burnt brick and mortar.”

Barkhutariants, M. Artsakh. Baku, 1895, p. 62 (the original in Armenian).
Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

1975 — 1977 yy․

According to the results of research implemented into the new bridge of Karavaz between 1975 and 1977, the longest of its 15 spans is 8.80 metres in length, and the shortest 5.80 metres.

Mamedzade, K. Building Art of Azerbaijan. Baku, 1983, p. 46 (the original in Russian).
Karapetian, Samvel. The Bridges of Artsakh, Yerevan, 2009, p. 26.

Description
17 c․

It is presently standing. It is a 15 span structure, 150 m long, which was built in the XVII cent, and undergone numerous renovations since then. “The span bases were built of small pieces of stone standing on a mighty bed rock. Other parts, including the arches were built of brick.”

K. Ohanian, From Shushi to Tavriz (Travel Notes), "Murj" 1903, N 1, p. 62.
Samvel Karapetian, Armenian Cultural Monuments in the Region of Karabakh, Yerevan, 2001, p. 227.

Type Photo
View From space
Author http://earth.google.com
Source Colour Negative

The new multi-span bridge of Karavaz from space

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Samvel Karapetyan
Source Colour Negative

Type Photo
Author Zaven Sargissian
Source Colour Negative

Type Photo
View Exterior
Author Philip Zalian
Source Colour Negative

Type Measurement
View Exterior
Author Reprint
Source Sketch

Prepared for publication by Ashot Hakobian