Dezful Bridge: The Oldest Usable Bridge in The World Was Built by 70,000 Roman Prisoners

The city of Dezful, located in present-day southern Iran, once belonged to the ancient and powerful Persian Empire. One of its most iconic landmarks, the Dezful bridge, is the oldest still-standing bridge in the world. It remained in full functionality until recently. The 2,200-year-old bridge was originally commissioned during the Sassanid era (circa 224-661 AD) by King Shapur I, who used 70,000 Roman prisoners of war to construct the great monument.

Building the Bridge

Iran is a country covered by an abundant landscape of rugged mountains, which would have made the construction of roads very difficult and expensive. However, these natural barriers also served as protection from foreigner invaders. With over 6,000 years of history, the Persian territory has been home to great and powerful civilizations. During its past, the Persian Empires built many bridges for communication and transportation, and the Dezful bridge is among one of their many accomplishments.

The old bridge of Dezful. (Public Domain)