Caucasus Heritage Watch (CHW) has documented the destruction of the 1835 Halevor Bridge, which spanned the Ishkhanaget River, 2km southwest of Mets Tagher.
“We have been concerned about this bridge since last summer. It was clearly visible in an Oct. 2021 satellite image. But the bridge was no longer discernable by July 2022. In CHW’s monitoring report #4, we provisionally designated it as damaged. April 2023 imagery now shows that the bridge was destroyed during roadwork. Halivor or Halevor bridge is located 2 km south-west of Mets Tagher village of Hadrut region, on Ishkhanaget. It was built in 1835 according to the 7-line surviving construction inscription engraved on the stone attached to the front of the bridge”, CHW said in a statement.
It is one of the six bridges built by Ishkhanaget and on its tributaries, four of which are intact.
The Halivor Bridge looks like the Green Belt of the Prince. In fact, this zone connects the area of Mets Tagher with the area of Tumi village over the river. The single-arched, semi-cylindrical bridge connects the rocky ravines.
It is 20 meters long, 3 meters wide and 9 meters high. The width of the arch opening is 9 meters.
The semi-fake construction protocol is found in the protocol attached to the north-western wall, where it is written: "my bridge is in memory to Haru / Til, son of Gev / which I built in memory of parents, whoever passes by / may God have bless on them, / RMZD / 1835/". It should be noted that this bridge differs from the others in its structure and position.
Depending on the location, the new bridge was built in such a way that the bridge over the Mets Tagher was about two meters below the opposite side. It is made of large, small fragments of quartz, with strong lime mortar.
