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Historic stone bridge in Turkey’s north missing in suspected theft incident: Village head
Historic stone bridge in Turkey’s north missing in suspected theft incident: Village head
A 300-year-old bridge in the northern Turkish province of Gümüşhane has been reported missing, while a local leader said it could have been stolen. Click through for the story in photos...
The five-meter bridge over the Balahor Creek near Gümüşhane’s Arslanca village had connected three highland plateaus for the past three centuries.
Locals who noticed last week the bridge was gone initially thought it had been destroyed during recent flash floods that hit the area. However, not even a single stone from the old bridge could be found in the creek.
Village head Coşkun Doğan told Demirören News Agency that an investigation this weekend showed the thieves could have stolen the bridge “stone by stone.”
“Some people probably destroyed this historic bridge while looking for treasure,” he said, adding that illegal excavations to find treasure in the historical area were prevented by authorities in the past.
Although Doğan insisted the bridge was last seen by locals on Oct. 1, the governor’s office said it was destroyed in a flood three months ago.
Citing other villagers, local media reported on Oct. 8 the governor’s office said the old stones were dragged away by the creek.
There are many arch bridges in the mountainous eastern Black Sea region dating back to the Seljuks and the Ottomans.
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