Altun Kupri

Altun Kupri stands on the Little Zab between Kirkuk and Erbil. The river divides around a rocky island, giving the town a distinctive setting at an important crossing. Its Turkish name means "golden bridge", while its Kurdish name Pirdi also refers to a bridge. Ottoman bridges crossed the two channels before the eighteenth century, linking the island settlement to both banks. In the early nineteenth century Muhammad Pasha of Soran extended his authority to the town as his mountain principality grew.