Bridges of Getavan

Three piers, separated from each other by a distance of 3 to 4 metres, are preserved on the right bank of the river Trtu (Tartar), in Getavan Village, Martakert District, Republic of Artsakh (RMK), at an altitude of 795 metres above sea level. Most presumably, the bridges were erected during the 10th to 13th centuries—each after the destruction of an older one in the site—and used to be single-span in composition. On the opposite, i.e. left, bank of the river, none of the bridges had a pier powerful enough to withstand the current for centuries so that no remains are found on this side of the river. All the three bridges were built of undressed stone with mortar. Comparatively better preserved is the pier of the lower bridge (passage width: 5.46 metres); then comes the one of the middle bridge with a passage width of 4.40 metres.