Pompey’s Bridge (Region Mtskheta – Mtianeti )
Pompey’s Bridge (Georg. პომპეუსის ხიდი)– the ruins of an ancient bridge over the Kura River, a stone structure in the western part of the city of Mtskheta. The bridge was erected by Pompey the Great, an ancient Roman statesman and commander, in 65 BC. Today, the original dimensions of the bridge can be estimated only from old engravings and drawings, however, the remains of this structure look impressive. The first information about the Mtskheta bridge is found in the works of ancient Greek authors of the 2nd-3rd centuries AD in connection with the description of the campaign of the Roman commander Pompey.
The bridge was restored and expanded during the reign of King Vakhtang Gorgasali. The builders improved the flood drainage system and widened the bridge entrance. Towers of defensive significance were built on both sides of the bridge. They housed guards and a customs post. Subsequently, the bridge was used until the middle of the 20th century, and only after the construction of the hydroelectric power station and the rise in the level of the river did it find itself under water and began to collapse. Now it is already difficult to say which part of the bridge remains from Roman times, and which was built in later eras.
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