Kilaniyya Bridge, Hama

The Kilaniyya Bridge is a Mamluk-era stone bridge that links the two banks of the Orontes in the middle of Hama. It was built in the early 14th century, has 5 arches and is 40 metres long. The al-Nuri Mosque stands at one end, and the norias, the giant wooden water wheels of Hama, turn a few steps away. People still walk across it.

Where it is and how to get there

The bridge joins the Kilaniyya quarter to the Bustan al-Saada and al-Tawafira quarters on the other bank. Anyone walking along the norias reaches it without trying; finding the al-Nuri Mosque is enough. The citadel mound is within walking distance.

Why it has three names

Al-Malik al-Afdal had the bridge built, and its first name, the Afdal Bridge, comes from him. The name Bayt al-Sheikh Bridge refers to Sheikh Abdul Qadir al-Gilani. Kilaniyya, the name most people use today, is the quarter it serves. The quarter in turn is named after the Kilani family, who trace their descent to Abdul Qadir al-Gilani. Their zawiyas, or Sufi lodges, and their houses lined the river bank.

What kind of structure it is

It is built of stone and stands on 5 arches. It is just over five metres wide. In 1950 the Dutch photographer Willem van de Poll photographed it three times. In those pictures the Orontes runs under the arches, with norias and a domed stone building behind. Another photograph from before 1982 shows one face of the bridge with the Jabiriya noria in front of it.

What happened in 1982

Most of the historic buildings of the Kilaniyya quarter were destroyed during the 1982 Hama massacre. Among them were the Qadiriyya zawiya, the Tayyara Palace and the zawiyas of Sheikh Yasin and Sheikh Husayn al-Kilani. Photographs taken after that year show the destruction around the bridge; the bridge itself stayed standing. Pictures from 2019 and February 2026 show it in ordinary use. It is one of the few structures on this stretch of the bank that are still there.

Do not miss

Stop in the middle of the bridge and look at the norias. A night photograph from February 2026 was taken from exactly this spot, with the wheels and the domed building behind them reflected in the water. Then go down to the bank. The arches and the stonework only show properly from below.