Most beautiful bridges in the world
The breathtaking Khaju Bridge from Ispahan, on the Zayandeh RiverThe Khaju Bridge enjoyed travellers already in the 17th century, and it is today one of the most famous bridge of the East and surely one of the most beautiful and impressive bridges on Earth. The Khaju bridge plays a multiple role. It is very nice indeed, but it is also very useful. Under the archways of the bridge there are sluice gates serving to raise the water level upstream the bridge; thus the many gardens of Ispahan can enjoy the precious water!
Also, during the hot sommer days, the Khaju bridge offers on its lower level popular shady places, where someone can escape the hot sun. The lower level can be accesed only by pedestrians, while the upper level is accesible for horses and carts. The octagonal pavilions from the both sides offer impressive views of the river and of the city.
As you may know from many of my previous posts, I have a thing for bridges. I just like them, plus by definition they are usually over water, which is one of my other favorite subjects. This is from downtown Austin, underneath the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge, and that is the Lamar Street Bridge in the distance. I like them both a lot. The Congress Avenue Bridge in Austin gets all the press, probably due to the colony of a million bats living underneath it, but for pure photographic reasons these two bridges are tops for me downtown. The other bridge in Austin that is probably the most famous of all, the Loop 360 Bridge, isn’t downtown but is pretty sweet too! Ah, so much to shoot!
Rohri, also known as Sateen Jo Aastan is the resting place for the Seven Female-friends. According to folklore these female friends resided here. These unmarried female-friends veiled them-selves from all males, a practice called purdah (the practice of preventing men from seeing women), which is also referred to as sattei. But for the fear of a tyrannical raja resulted in their disappearance, possibly in a cave in the side of a hill. Thus they became satti. It is probable that this folklore has its origins in the Hindu ritual of satti, an inhumane ritual where widows burnt themselves or were burnt on their dead husband’s pyre.
In reality however, this is the burial place of a ruler from Sukkur , Mir Abu Al-Qasim Namkeen (961 A.H , 993 A.H). The tomb complex was ordered to be built by him. It was constructed in the ochre stone similar to that used in the necroplis of Makli Hill. Inscriptions and Quranic verses in the finest nakh scripts adorn the walls and interior of these structures. Rows of hujras (rooms on the ground floor) were constructed for travellers and students. The famous blue tiles of Sindh were used to enhance the aesthetic impact.
A small mosque on the upper level and the western section is profusely embellished with blue, turquoise and white tile-work. Tradition states that when the Mir completed this fine complex, he would retire to it on full moon nights with friends and courtiers and entertain them to music, mangoes, sweets, honey and watermelons. The grand remnant of a bygone era is, unfortunately, in a state of ruin though it is a popular resort for picnickers and tourists.
On one of the smaller hills that arises out of the river bank on the south has a leveled platform on which there are many carved gravestones like those on the Makli Hill at Thatta with chain ornament and panels of Arabic quotations from the Quran. The entire space between the graves is paved and a flight of stairs leads up to the platform from the southside. Enameled tiled work is freely used on these tombs, most of which are dated 1018 to 1301 AH., that is between 1609 and 1883 AD. The principal grave is that of Mir Kasim one of the Sabzwari Shahids dated 1018 AD. This was probably the grave that sanctified the place, and the lamp post and lamp that where placed in front of it are still there, and it gives the name of Than Kasim Shah to the hill. But the name of which it is more generally known is the hill of the seven virgins.
The building on the southern side of the hill is called Satbhain, which consists of a row of shallow rooms connected externally with coloured tiles. These cells are said to have been occupied by the seven female-friends. The seven Female-Friends had taken a vow of celebacy and to never look upon the face of a man. Richard Francis Burton, however, maintains that this derivation is wrong, claiming that the correct interpritation for Sati-na-jo-Than or seat of the Satis (i.e. celibate women) is seven.
Millau Bridge(France)
Towering 1,125-ft above the Tarn Valley in southern France, driving along the Millau Bridge is said to feel like flying. This Foster + Partners marvel is slightly taller than the Eiffel Tower, took three years to build and opened to the public in 2004. While it may provide picturesque views of the valley below, once the mist descends it is not a route for the faint hearted! The Millau Bridge has a total length of 8,071-ft with the longest single span at 1,122-ft and a maximum clearance below of 886-ft; in short the bridge is massively impressive both on paper and in real life. The deck is lofted on 7 pylons and weighs 36,000 tonnes. A series of 7 masts, each 292-ft tall and weighing 700 tonnes, are attached to the corresponding pylons.
Cable-Stayed Bridge Project is on schedule to be completed January 2005. (39 month construction contract). This project is being financed privately. This project has the highest bridge piers in world. Thus the title of the Highest Bridge in the World. The tallest will be 240 meters high. Overall height an outstanding 336.4 meters. This project will consist of seven separate cable-stays.
Henderson wave Bridge Singapore
Henderson Wave Bridge in singapore is one of the most beautiful bridge in the world. Themed “Recapturing the Past Splendor,” Singapore’s Telok Blengah Hill Park is an amazing green space that takes you on breath-taking views above the city and a preserved forest. The park uses high, steel walkways to look over the Sungei Cina river and huge specimens of a diverse collection of South Asian tropical foliage. The most dominant piece of infrastructure in the park is the ‘Hendersen Waves’ which provides an exciting view of the city beyond the forest. At 12 stories tall it is Singapore’s highest pedestrian bridge.
Hangzhou Bay Bridge China’s Longest Bridge Trans-Oceanic Bridge
Acrossthe Hangzhou Bay extends the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, with 35,673 kilometres (22 mi) long with six expressway lanes in two directions. The bridge was built to address traffic congestion in the booming region, cutting the driving time between Shanghai and Ningbo from four to two-and-a-half hours.finally opened to the public on May 1, 2008. Total investment on the bridge was RMB 11.8 billion (around US$ 1.4 billion.)
8.Tower Bridge (UK)Most famous and beautiful victorian Bridge
Completed in 1894 and designed by Horace Jones and Wolfe Barry, Tower Bridge (so named after the two, striking, 141-ft high towers and the Tower of London close to it) is one of the most famous landmarks in London and one of the most beautiful in the world. The 800-ft long bridge has a 28-ft clearance when closed but raises in the centre to a maximum clearance of 140-ft that allows ships to pass down the Thames. Back in the days when goods were moved by sea instead of air the bridge was raised around 50 times daily. Tower Bridge took 432 workers 8 years to build. During that time they sank 70,000 tonnes of concrete into 2 huge piers, lowered 2 counterbalanced bascules into place each weighing 1,000 tonnes and then clad the whole bridge in Portland stone and Cornish granite to disguise the 11,000 tonnes of steel beneath
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