Turkey’s finest bridge? Population: 1,500
Other name: Çatakköprü
Malabadi is little more than a waystation on the way from Silvan to Batman or Bitlis but it does have one particular reason why you might want to make a brief stop and that is the stupendous, humpbacked Malabadi Köprüsü, a five-arched bridge built in 1147 by Timurtaş, the Artukid ruler of Mardin., at the point where the Batman Stream meets the Dicle (Tigris) river. It is said to be the longest spanned stone arch bridge in the world. The Ottoman travel writer Evliya Çelebi reported that there were metal grids at each end of the bridge and that 17th-century travellers had to pay a toll to cross it.
The bridge was completed in 2013 restored but although the work was done very carefully nothing can disguise the damage done to its setting by the opening of the Batman Dam just across the road in 2004. In my opinion it would have been better to dismantle the bridge and rebuild it away from the dam and the main road sweeping past immediately in front of it.
The bridge remains a very impressive piece of medieval engineering and now that people can once again walk over it I imagine that flashier cafes than the small ones just up the road in Malabadi will open nearby. Let’s see.
Transport info
Minibuses from Silvan to Batman or Bitlis pass the bridge so you can admire it in passing. If you get out be warned that you may have trouble getting into an onward or return bus as they mostly arrive full.
Without a car, you’re probably better off getting a taxi to and from Silvan for a fixed fare.
Nearby destinations
