Turkey’s Canakkale 1915 Bridge full of symbols

By News Center

Turkey’s Canakkale 1915 Bridge, one of the mega projects that will connect Asia and Europe, is full of symbols from its length to its height, from its color to its viaducts, Yeni Shafak has reported.

The project is expected to open in early 2022. This is after the solemn ceremony where Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan tightened the bolt of its last plate in November 2021, the report added.

The bridge has been equipped with codes related to both the Canakkale War and the Turkish history.

The bridge reflects some Turkish-Islamic motifs, as well as draws inspirations from Ottoman architecture. The vertical lines, which stand out in many historical works of Turkish-Islamic architecture, also were used in the tie-beams of the bridge.

It is possible to see the vertical lines that Mimar Sinan brought to Ottoman architecture in many works. The similar vertical lines, which can be noticed in the Selimiye and the Suleymaniye mosques, as well as in the Buyukcekmece Bridge, add a historical atmosphere to the bridge.

Moreover, critical dates are included in the figures regarding the length and height of the bridge. The 2023-meter middle span between the two steel towers of the suspended tower marks the 100th anniversary of the Turkish republic.

By using red and white colors representing the colors of the Turkish flag on the four towers of the bridge, it is aimed to reflect the memory of the martyrs and national values in the best way and to be visible from everywhere.

Another important detail on the bridge is that the viaducts reflect the Canakkale Martyrs' Monument. Viaduct feet symbolize the monument's four-leg shape.

The steel towers, designed as 318 meters in height, represent the Canakkale Victory on March 18, 1918 (03.18), which was a turning point in Turkish and world history.

A cannonball will be placed on the top of the steel towers, to glorify the cannonball that Seyit Onbasi (one of the heroes of the Canakkale War) carried. The towers will reach a height of 334 meters above sea level, together with 16-meter architectural cannonball figures.