Category Archives: Uncategorized

Cendere Bridge Cendere bridge located in the Adiyaman Province in south east Turkey, and built in the years 198-200 CE is as much a glorious relic of Roman bridge architecture as it is a reminder of a brutal and merciless fratricide.This Roman bridge is one of the best preserved structures of that era, and while aContinue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilisations(Contd.)Shocking Monument of Royal Fratricide”

Public transport may be a pretty common thing today but the first attempts to introduce this revolutionary idea though greeted with great curiosity and amusement to begin with, petered out only as an interesting and entertaining experiment. The first public carriage plied on the unpaved road of Paris just for a few weeks.The idea wasContinue reading “The First Public Transport – Bridge between the Privileged and the Commoner”

Ponte Sant’Angelo Ponte Sant’Angelo is one among the most famous Roman bridges adorning the landscapes that dotted the once mighty Roman Empire. The bridge was commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to span the Tiber River to connect the two banks. Called Pons Arlius meaning the Bridge of Hadrian. It got completed in 134-135 CE.HadrianA brief accountContinue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilizations(Contd.)”

In today’s time when terms like ‘fake news’ and ‘Yellow Journalism’ are as common as common salt or Coke, it may be interesting, if not enlightening, to know about a man who is credited to have brought into existence this phenomenon- the legendary if somewhat notorious- WR Hearst – The Master of Fake News.Best rememberedContinue reading “The Master of Fake News”

The Alcántara Bridge If there is one bridge that bears witness to the ravages of human frailties and violence in pursuit of power and territory, much more than the fury of elements, it’s the The Alcántara Bridge (also known as Trajan’s Bridge at Alcantara) of Spain. Among the most antiquated surviving bridges of the world, this bridge alsoContinue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilizations(Contd.)”

Pons Fabricius Located in Rome, and still in use, The Pons Fabricius or Ponte dei Quatrtro Capi is the oldest Roman bridge that has retained its original architecture. Built by the then Curator of Roads, Lucius Fabricius and named after him, it has a length of 62 m,(203 Feet) and is 5.5(18 feet) m wide.Continue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilisations(contd.)”

If there is one bridge that has withstood the ravages of time successfully and one that finds a literal permanence and eternity since Homer wrote Iliad, it’s a bridge from the old Byzantium, the present day Turkey. That it is recorded in Guinness Books of World Records as the oldest datable bridge in the worldContinue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilisations(Contd.)Caravan Bridge of Izmir”

The Tarr Steps Stones and boulders, unaided by any cementing material, were the first designs of the earliest bridges. The amazing aspect was the effort and enterprise involved in gathering these huge multi-ton boulders at one place and arranging them in the shape of a bridge. The marvel of man’s ingenuity in his pursuit ofContinue reading “Bridges That Bridge Civilisation(contd.)”

Bridges are taken for granted. They, it is presumed, will be there wherever humans live and set habitations.Perhaps, any structure that connects an inaccessible part where men want to go can be called a bridge. From this perspective, the bridges have been in existence since civilisation itself. Yet, larger, organised and planned structures evolved overContinue reading “Bridges That have Bridged Civilisations”

BridgesConnect, Conduct, ConveyPlaces, Matter, ProgressImagineWithout themOur lives would have beenMere islands! BridgesAre madeWith Stones, Wood, SteelEven Mud and MortarThey serveDiverse purposesToday, and over eons! BridgesTake us toThe times aheadFrom posterity to futureFrom behind to beyondThey surely representOur increasing quest forProgress profound! BridgesWill they alsoConnect us to worlds unknown?To lands unchartered, unexplored?To realms beyond matter, mindContinue reading “Bridges”