Cendere

The Roman bridge at Cendere was built in the first years of the third century, after the emperor Septimius Severus had defeated the Parthians, had captured Ctesiphon, and had added Mesopotamia to the Roman Empire. The old line of defense works along the Upper Euphrates was no longer necessary. The area was reorganized and in 203/204 CE, the river Chabinas (the modern Cendere Suyu) was bridged by soldiers of the Sixteenth Legion Flavia Firma.

The construction, which was (according to the inscriptions) paid for by "the four towns of Commagene", was 118 meters long and is part of the road to Nemrud Daği. On each of the two bridgeheads were two pillars with a statue, dedicated to the emperor, to his wife Julia Domna, and to their sons Caracalla and Geta. (When the latter was murdered, his statue was removed, the column was also removed, and his name erased from the inscriptions.)

Cendere Bridge, seen from the southeast	Cendere Bridge, seen from the southeast	Cendere Bridge, seen from the south	Cendere Bridge, seen from the southwest
Cendere Bridge, Southeastern column, dedication to Septimius Severus	Cendere Bridge, Northeastern column, dedication to Julia Domna	Cendere Bridge, Southwestern column, dedication to Caracalla	Cendere Bridge, Southeastern column, dedication to Septimius Severus
Cendere Bridge, Northwestern inscription	Cendere Bridge, Northwestern inscription, detail mentioning XVI Flavia Firma	Cendere Bridge, Southeastern inscription	Cendere Bridge, Northeastern inscription
The river valley at Cendere	Cendere Bridge, seen from the north	Cendere Bridge, Northeastern column	Cendere Bridge, Pavement