Foreign Travelers Explore Ancient Khudafarin Bridge in Azerbaijan

A group of 33 travelers from the UK’s “Piki Reels” club, led by Belgian national Yves Bouvier, visited on Monday the historic Khudafarin Bridge located in the Jabrayil region of Azerbaijan.

The travelers explored the Khudafarin Bridge over the Araz River on the border of Azerbaijan with Iran, witnessing the traces of atrocities and crimes committed by the Armenian armed forces during the years of occupation.

The visitors were briefed about the architectural and engineering excellence, and other qualities of the Khudafarin bridges complex – one of the most vibrant monuments of Azerbaijani architecture.

"Here, we see how your country is restoring the lands liberated from occupation. We are visiting historical sites, restored buildings, and other landmarks. We also saw the Khudafarin Bridge, which embodies an ancient history," said Dutch traveler Nick Terhurst.

The Khudafarin bridges span the northern and southern shores of the Araz River on the Azerbaijan-Iran border. Two separate Khudafarin bridges with 11 and 15 arches were built in Jabrayil in the 11th and 13th centuries. The shorter overpass measured about 130 meters in length, 6 meters in width and 12 meters in height above the river level.

The Khudafarin bridges are among Azerbaijan's ancient monuments. The bridge was built on the caravan road connecting the medieval cities of South Azerbaijan (the northwestern part of modern-day Iran) and North Azerbaijan (the modern-day Republic of Azerbaijan). The first bridge built in the narrowest part of the Araz River, surrounded by rocks, was operational between the 11th and 19th centuries. The brick bridge was built in the 12th century.

There is no information documented about the name of the person who built the bridge. According to researchers, both bridges were named "Khudafarin" because their foundations were laid on natural raft stones in the middle of the river.

Some historians say they were built in 1027 by Fazl I, the Shaddadis, a medieval state established in the territory of Azerbaijan with its capital located in the Ganja city. This bridge was of great importance in the development of Azerbaijan's economic and cultural relations with India, Middle Eastern countries, Russia and Western European countries.

According to historical facts, the bridge remained relatively intact and useful until the 1930s. At that time, the coastal arches of the bridge were destroyed. Since then, the local population refers to the structure as the "broken bridge". Currently, only three arches of the 11-arch bridge remain.

The historical buildings and monuments in Azerbaijan suffered serious damage from Armenia's cultural vandalism after the occupation of the Karabakh (Garabagh) region of Azerbaijan in the early 1990s. The bridge was damaged due to vandalism and neglect during nearly 30 years of illegal Armenian occupation.

In October 2020, Khudafarin, known as the "bridge of longing", became a symbol of peace and hope after the Jabrayil district was liberated by Azerbaijani forces from Armenian occupation. On October 18, 2020, the Azerbaijani army hoisted the state flag on Khudafarin followed by an announcement by President Ilham Aliyev about the bridge’s liberation from occupation.