The story of Sangarius Bridge

The Sakarya River once flowed beneath this bridge; today it spans the Çark stream that drains Lake Sapanca, because over the centuries the river shifted its bed. Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian I had it built between 559 and 562 to ease travel and communication between the capital, Constantinople, and the empire's eastern provinces. According to the historian Procopius, the stone bridge replaced a floating bridge of boats tied together, which the strong current kept tearing loose.

At around 430 metres long, it became a subject for the writers and poets of its day. Locals call it Beşköprü, "Five Bridges": the Latin word pons turned into Pontogephyra and later Pentegephyra, yet the bridge is not known to have five sections or five arches. A claim that it was part of a canal Justinian planned across Anatolia is debated by experts.

Standing 5 kilometres from Adapazarı, it joined UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List in 2018.