The Bridge: Symbolism and Beauty

Dr..

Kamal Abdul Malik

January 06, 2023

We were standing on a bridge in Cairo that we called “Qasr al-Nil Bridge,” and my friend, an academic researcher, asked us, “In this place, do you see where we are?” Another asked, “Where are we when we stand on the threshold of the house or on the balcony?”

Do you see us inside or outside the house?” And a third followed, “Let us enjoy the view of the Nile, the passing boats, the passengers, and their songs that make the heart happy.”

If we reflect a little on the symbolism of the bridge, we find that it connects the two banks of the river, as it is a connection in time and space: like love and marriage, as it unites two different elements.

In dreams, the bridge symbolizes the passage from one situation to another, the end of one cycle and the beginning of another.

The titles of several books include the word “bridge”: In the story “The Bridge of Oblivion” by Mervat Amin, the story revolves around Shadi and Shiraz. The first is a tour guide contracted by a tourism company in Canada to be a guide for Arabs visiting the country, and one day he was with a group Among the Arabs visiting the Oblivion Bridge, which is a suspension bridge called “Capilano”, many Canadians believe that those who cross it forget everything they went through in life.

There are other books whose titles include the word bridge.

Among them is "Jacob's Daughters Bridge", which is a novel by the Palestinian writer Hassan Hamid, published in 1999 and one of the most important novels that discussed the suffering of the Palestinian people.

And the novel “An Embrace at the Brooklyn Bridge” by Ezzedine Shukri Fisher.

And the novel “The Devil’s Bridge” by the Egyptian writer Abdel Hamid Gouda Al-Sahar.

As for “Bridge on the Drina River,” it is a historical novel by the Yugoslav writer Ivo Andrić.

Its events revolve around the Mehmet Pasa Sokolović Bridge in Visegrad, which spans the Drina River and stands as a silent witness to history from its construction by the Ottomans in the mid-16th century until its partial destruction during World War I.

The novel focuses in particular on the lives, fates, and relations of the local population, particularly the Serbs and Bosnian Muslims.

And our beautiful Arab emirates boast the beauty of many bridges.

Including the floating bridge in Dubai, which is the first of its kind in the country. It was opened on July 16, 2007, and it is a bridge that floats directly over the waters of Dubai Creek and is characterized by its ability to be closed so that ships can cross without hindrance.

As for the Sheikh Zayed Bridge in Abu Dhabi, it is known for its different design and distinctive lighting, as the curves are designed in the form of sand dunes, along with the lights that gradually change color, suggesting to you that the bridge is a living and moving organism.

In his article “The Forms and Aesthetics of Bridges,” the Chinese researcher, Man Zhong Tang, says that we must build safe, elegant bridges that meet all human requirements, and their design must be natural, simple, original, and in harmony with its surroundings.

Aesthetics are not an additional consideration in bridge design, but rather an integral part of bridge design.

Both the structural configuration and the aesthetics of the bridge must be considered together during the design phase.

He adds that the arched bridge was one of the most creative inventions by the Romans and the Chinese. The arch allowed the Romans to build many bridges, some of which still exist today.

He concludes: If we want quality in our lives, we must have quality in our environment.

If we want quality in our environment, we must pay close attention to the beauty of the structures we build, including bridges.

We must keep our world beautiful because it is the only world we have.

 Visiting scholar at Harvard University

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