Al-Aimmah Bridge

Al-Aimmah Bridge
File:Al-Aaimmah bridge area.PNG Al-Aimmah Bridge
Coordinates
Crosses	Tigris River
Locale	Baghdad
Maintained by	Iraq Ministry of Housing and Construction
Characteristics
Design	cable-stayed
Total length	370 metres (1,210 ft)
Width	21 metres (69 ft)
Height	55.7 metres (183 ft)
Longest span	182.5 metres (599 ft)
Number of spans	4
History
Construction begin	1980
Construction end	1983

Al-Aimmah Bridge (Arabic: جسر الأئمة, Jisr al-'Ā'immah‎‎, "the bridge of the imams") is a bridge over the river Tigris in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. The bridge links the areas of Adhamiya, which is a majority Sunni Arab area, from its East bank with the Shia area of Kadhimiya on its west.

It was the place of a deadly stampede on 31 August 2005 when hundreds of Shiite pilgrims were crushed. The stampede caused the railings to give way, allowing hundreds to fall to their deaths in the river. The bridge had been closed for the three months prior to the incident.

Although Adhamiyah has been the site of many clashes between Iraqi insurgents and US forces as well as tensions between Shia security forces and Sunni residents, in September 2005, the residents of Adhamiyah were credited with saving hundreds of Shia lives. Shia pilgrims who were caught in a stampede on Al-Aimmah bridge, coming from the opposing shore of Kadhimiyah, began jumping from the bridge in an attempt to escape the crush, only to face drowning in the Tigris below. Adhamiyah residents dived into the waters, pulling hundreds of Shias to the shore, where their fellow residents transported them to hospitals and mosques, in some cases using the mattresses from their own beds as makeshift stretchers.

The bridge was reopened on November 11, 2008.

External links

• (BBC)