Turkiye has signed a contract to rebuild the historic Ani Bridge on its border with Armenia as part of efforts to preserve Silk Road heritage and advance normalization between the two countries.

Axar.az reports, citing Turkiye Today, that Transport and Infrastructure Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu said the contract was signed on September 28, completing the tender process.

The 10th-century bridge will be reconstructed under a joint commission involving Turkiye's Transport Ministry and the General Directorate of Highways.

The restoration tender was held on September 16, following a protocol signed by Turkiye and Armenia in Yerevan on May 4.

The bridge, located over the Arpacay River at the Ani archaeological site in Kars province, was once an important Silk Road crossing. Its main arch collapsed in 1807, leaving only parts of its piers.

The Ani archaeological site was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2016.

The Turkiye-Armenia border has been closed since 1993, while the two countries began a normalization process in 2022.