calendar>>August 29. 2009 Juche 98
Relics of "Rakta Bridge" Discovered
Pyongyang, August 29 (KCNA) -- Relics of "Rakta (camel)Bridge" were excavated in Korea. The bridge was the oldest one built in the period of Koryo across the small river called Ochon. The river is flowing between Kwanhun-dong and Poson-dong of Kaesong City.

The stone bridge supported by pillars was 30 meters long, 6 meters wide and 1.7 meters high.

The Japanese imperialists destroyed the foundation and pillar stones and other parts of the bridge at random in 1935.

Discovered there are four broken foundation stones, one pillar stone, one broken beam stone and stones supporting foundation stones on the bed of the river.

A square flute for pillar was made in the center of the upper surface of the foundation stone. The flute is 45 centimeters long, 40 centimeters wide and 5 to 10 centimeters deep.

The pillar stone is 130cm long, 43-46cm wide on the top and 47-60cm wide at the bottom and has a jaw at the bottom to be dovetailed in the square flute of the foundation stone.

The upper side of the broken beam stone lying on two pillars was worn to smooth.

Those supporting the foundation stones are rectangular plain rocks of different sizes.

Pieces of inlaid ceramics of Koryo and ceramics of Ri Dynasty and various iron nails were also found out there.

The relics of "Rakta Bridge" which was built over 1,000 years ago are of weighty significance in studying the bridge architecture in the early period of Koryo and show the Korean people's stone processing technique and high bridge architecture.

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