Delal Bridge

Delal, Zakho Bridge, Pira Delal or Pirdí Delal ("The Bridge Delal" in Kurdish), informally known also as Pira Berî, is an ancient stone bridge over the Khabur river in the town of Zakho, in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. The bridge is about 115 metres long and 16 metres high. Etymology The term pir means "bridge" and delal means "dear or beautiful" in Kurdish, "Pira Delal" means "beautiful bridge" (though not in an aesthetic sense, but more of something that is unique). The name reflects the way the bridge is seen among the local people as well as tourists. The bridge was named Delal and the city of Zakho is called Zakhoka Delal (Delal's Zakho) in the honor of Delal, a heroine figure associated with a myth regarding the origins of the bridge (see below). History Pira Delal is believed to have been first built during the Roman era, while the present structure appears to be from the Abbasic era. Kurdish people all over Kurdistan visit Pira Delal as a monument of peace and enjoyment with the family. One of the legends regarding construction of the bridge relates that the hands of the builder were amputated to ensure that the bridge would remain unique. Legend According to a common myth associated with the bridge, the prince of Bohtan had ordered a skilled constructor to build him a bridge on the Tigris river. Once the bridge was complete, the prince chopped off the right hand of the builder as a reward for the good work he had done on the bridge, and so that he may never build another bridge that was as well-crafted as anywhere else. When the builder arrived in Zakho city, the mayor of the city requested the builder to build a bridge that will connect the two sides of the Khabur river that goes to Zakho. The builder accepted the request in spite of the Bohtan prince who had cut off his right hand. When the builder got to the middle part of the bridge, it would always collapse. To solve this, one of the fortune tellers in the city notified the builder that he should bury whoever sets foot on the bridge first, man or beast, under it as a sacrifice.