The Old Bridge

Al Jisr Al Atiq (The Ancient Bridge), also known as the Old Bridge, and referred to in the local Mosul dialect as "Al Jisg Al Atiq," is a bridge over the Tigris River connecting the right and left banks of the city of Mosul in Iraq, specifically linking the Al Nasr and Al Maydan areas, with a total length of approximately 305 meters.

The Directorate of Public Works began work in early 1932 and completed its construction in June 1934. King Ghazi I inaugurated it on the afternoon of Sunday the tenth of June 1934, before a large crowd of citizens in a witnessed historical scene, and it was named the King Ghazi Bridge. Its name later changed to the Nineveh Bridge, and today it is known among the people of Mosul as Al Jisr al Atiq (The Ancient Bridge).

The bridge consists of eight iron structures, each 120 feet long, resting on seven supports formed of two opposing iron cylinders, each nine feet in diameter, anchored beneath the riverbed to a depth of approximately 44 feet using compressed air, with foundations laid on a strong layer of blue clay and rock. The width of its surface reached 18 feet, making it designed for two-way traffic simultaneously, with a 5-foot pedestrian walkway on each side.

The bridge was built using a construction system known as the Truss Bridge, a system relying on polygonal shapes that transfer loads to support points, linking its form to repeating triangles with upper and lower chords. This form was later utilized in distributing nighttime lighting, which enhanced its mental image for the people of Mosul, particularly when it reflects on the surface of the Tigris.

On the twenty-fourth of November 2016, the bridge was demolished and destroyed by the international coalition army with the aim of completely separating the right bank from the left, and with this strike, Nineveh Governorate was divided into two parts and ISIS members were confined to their positions. The bridge was considered one of five strategic bridges connecting both sides of Mosul, all of which were subjected to demolition during those battles. It was rebuilt and reopened during the era of Prime Minister Haider Al Abadi on March 14, 2018, in the same old style. A parallel bridge was subsequently built in the same style.