[1935 EXPEDITION OF THE CHOROKH RIVER / BORÇKA / PHOTOGRAPHY] Eleven loose silver gelatine photos likely taken during the 1935 Expedition of the Chorokh River for the construction of the Borçka Bridge over the river

AKKAYA, FEVZI (1907-2004), A. ÖZER.

N. p., Borçka, Artvin, 1935.

COMPLETE TITLE: [1935 EXPEDITION OF THE CHOROKH RIVER / BORÇKA / PHOTOGRAPHY] Eleven loose silver gelatine photos likely taken during the 1935 Expedition of the Chorokh River for the construction of the Borçka Bridge over the river, offering an insight into the cultural and ethnic variety, historical progression of the region near to the Caucasus, infrastructure and engineering projects of early Republic period.

Eleven silver gelatine photographs. 9x14 cm. Two captions in Turkish on verso. “Çok degerli kaymakamimiza 9.5.935, Borçka Maarif Memuru Â. Özer [i.e., To our esteemed district governor, 9.5.935, Borçka Education Officer Â. Özer” and “1 Mart 935 Borçkada (?) [i.e., 1 March 1935, in Borçka”. One photograph has cracked lines. Overall, a fine group of photographs.

A group of photographs likely taken during the 1935 Expedition for the construction of the Borçka Bridge over the Çoruh River. The set includes two photographs depicting traditional Turkish houses and panoramic views of Borçka, a town near the Georgian border in Artvin, and nine photographs focusing on the Çoruh River from different angles.

The Borçka Bridge, spanning the Çoruh River with a 113-meter opening and an arch height of 15.75 meters from the abutment, was constructed using the Langer Beam system, first implemented by engineer Josef Langer in 1883. The bridge was built by a team led by Turkish engineer Feyzi Akkaya (1907-2004). Akkaya became known for tuning Bridge No. 44 on the Erzincan railway construction site to the "A" note by attaching violin strings to it, immediately after completing the Borçka Bridge. This method allowed him to monitor whether the steel elements were overstressed, serving as an early precursor to modern "Meihak Gauges." In a photograph from this group taken on a pier over the Çoruh River, among the gathered crowd, which includes prominent Laz and Georgian figures of Borçka at the time, Akkaya himself is likely present (standing behind the two ladies).

Although a bridge had previously been built here by the Russians, it collapsed due to the Çoruh River’s strong current and steep gradient eroding its foundations. Since then, passage along this crucial route had been maintained by a cable-operated raft stretched across the river. One of the two remaining piers of the old bridge, which had not been destroyed, was found to be solid on a caisson, while the other remained intact outside the area affected by the water's destructive force. These piers were utilized, and to ensure a light superstructure, a single-span design was chosen, with wooden decking and iron being preferred. In one of the photographs, with unfinished bridge construction and remains of the ex-bridge built by the Russians over the Çoruh River, the ferries used during that time can be seen. The bridge was temporarily accepted in August 1935 and was officially opened by Prime Minister Ismet Inönü on July 23, 1935, during a ceremony as part of his tour to inspect the eastern provinces.

Borçka is a town in Artvin Province in the Black Sea region of Turkey, on the border with Georgia. Borçka is reached by a winding road up from the Black Sea coast, alongside the Çoruh River (Nigali Valley). There is a medieval stone arched bridge across the river just west of the town.

The Chorokh is a river that rises in the Mescit Mountains in north-eastern Turkey, flows through the cities of Bayburt, Ispir, Yusufeli, and Artvin, along the Kelkit-Çoruh Fault, before flowing into Georgia, where it reaches the Black Sea just south of Batumi and a few kilometers north of the Turkish Georgian border. The Chorokhi Valley lies within the Caucasus ecological zone, which is considered by the Worldwide Fund for Nature and by Conservation International as a biodiversity hotspot.  (Wikipedia).