Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge, Ottoman stone bridge in Stari Grad, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge spans the Miljacka River with several stone arches built in Ottoman style from limestone and local tufa. It connects different sections of the old town and shows the typical features of bridge building from that period.
The bridge was built in 1585 and proved its strength through several natural disasters in the centuries that followed. A major flood in the middle of the 1800s damaged two pillars and led to significant repairs.
The name comes from Turkish and means Mayor's Bridge, showing how deeply Ottoman culture shaped Sarajevo's buildings and words. Walking through the old town, you can still see this influence in street names and the way locals talk about different neighborhoods.
The bridge sits in the middle of the old town and is easy to reach on foot when walking through Stari Grad's streets. It serves both pedestrians and cyclists and offers good views of the river and the surrounding old buildings.
Alija Hafizadić is named in historical records as the builder of this structure, making it a personal work of this Ottoman master craftsman. This kind of information about the original builder is rare today and shows how skilled craftsmen left their mark on the city.
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