Severan Bridge

The Severan Bridge is a Roman-period stone arch bridge in Adıyaman Province, southeastern Turkey, commonly called the Cendere Bridge. It is notable for surviving Roman masonry and an imperial dedicatory inscription linked to the Severan dynasty.

The structure retains three stone arches and Roman dressed masonry, with the central arch the dominant span; the bridge is examined for its construction technique and inscription panels. Photographers and history visitors come to view the carved inscription that names members of the Severan imperial family and to study the Roman engineering of the crossing.

The bridge was built in the Roman imperial period and is associated with the Severan emperors; surviving inscription panels record dedications to the imperial family. It has been referenced in studies of Roman architecture in Anatolia and remains a well-preserved example of a Roman multi-arched bridge.

The bridge stands over the Cendere stream near modern Kahta in Adıyaman Province, southeast Turkey, within a landscape of rolling hills and agricultural fields and close to other Roman and Kurdish-era sites in the region.

• Local name and crossing: The bridge crosses the Cendere stream near Kahta in Adıyaman Province and is often referred to locally as the Cendere Bridge.
• Roman dedication: It is a Roman-era stone bridge notable for its surviving dedicatory inscription to the Severan emperors and their family.

What to See #

• Central arch and span: The central stone arch is the largest of the three arches and retains Roman masonry techniques and dressed stone voussoirs characteristic of imperial bridge construction.
• Severan inscription: A dedicatory inscription on the bridge records construction under the Severan imperial family and survives on the structure's voussoirs and abutments.