The historic Hacılar Bridge, a 28-meter-long Ottoman-era structure in the Darende district of Malatya, eastern Türkiye is being restored after being damaged in the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes last year.

Efforts to restore cultural assets damaged in the earthquakes in Malatya are continuing with great care. Restoration work is underway on the nearly 300-year-old registered cultural asset, Hacılar Bridge, located in Darende and damaged in the Feb. 6 earthquakes.

The bridge, which was built by Abidin Pasha in 1757 over the Tohma Stream in the Hacılar neighborhood, is 28 meters long, 3.5 meters wide and constructed in a two-arched design using cut and rough stone, the restoration work is expected to be completed shortly.

Sariye Levent Taşdemir, chief inspector of historical bridges at the 8th Regional Directorate of Highways, provided information about the restoration project, noting that the work on this historic structure is being carried out meticulously.

Taşdemir emphasized that the bridge, a cultural heritage approximately 300 years old, is being revived by carefully addressing damage from natural causes and the Feb. 6, 2023 earthquakes, prioritizing its original texture.

He added that the restoration work on the bridge is being conducted in accordance with its historic character, with the goal of preserving this cultural heritage for future generations.