The Cendere Bridge (also known as Severan Bridge, Chabinas Bridge or in Turkish: Cendere Köprüsü) is situated within the national park that contains Mount Nemrut. You wouldn’t go widely out of your way to see it, but if you are already visiting Mount Nemrut, it is worth checking out.
The bridge is constructed of 92 stones, each weighing about 10 tons as a simple arch at the narrowest point of the Chabinas Creek (Cendere Çayı in Turkish). At 112 feet, the span is the second largest arch bridge built by the Romans in existence today.
It was built by four Kommagenean cities in honor of the Roman Emperor Lucius Septimius Severus (193-211), his second wife Julia Domna and their sons Lucius Septimius Bassianus Caracalla and Publius Septimius Antoninius Geta.
There were originally four Corinthian columns on the bridge, two columns on the Kahta side dedicated to Septimius Severus himself and his wife, and two another columns on the Sincik side dedicated to Caracalla and Geta, all 30 feet in height. However, the column of Geta was removed following his assassination by Caracalla, who damned his memory and ordered his name to be removed from all inscriptions.
The Italians were busy in their day, weren’t they?