Pont du Diable, Saint-Jean-de-Fos, France

The Pont du Diable on the Hérault River is one of many bridges in France with this name (it means Devil's bridge). Constructed by Benedictine monks in the first half of the 11th century, it provided a link between the abbey at Aniane and the Gellone Abbey at Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert. Though subsequently widened and raised several metres around 1770, it has retained its original shape. Vehicular traffic is now catered for by a newer bridge, from which splendid views may be had of the original bridge and an aqueduct that takes water to the vineyards of Saint-Jean-de-Fos.

The bridge has been listed by the French Ministry of Culture as a monument historique since 1935 and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site as part of the World Heritage Sites of the Routes of Santiago de Compostela in France.

References:

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User Reviews

Kujdesi Rama (2 years ago)
Visited this place September 2018. Views from the bridge were amazing. The pond at the bottom is a very quiet place and you can enjoy a quiet day there. Free car park and always you can find space. Recommend for a family picnic.

Mariko Pond (2 years ago)
Free parking and the water is very clean. It looks like they also have the possibility to camp overnight. There is a cafe, gift shop, and bathrooms available for public use. Highly recommended!

paul gartland (2 years ago)
Brilliant place for a cooling swim and to relax. Excellent free bus into St. Guilhem for a drink and bite to eat. Love it here.

Lars Söderbaum Elm (2 years ago)
Great place to swim with a stunning view. Stony beach so bring bathing shoes. It can be hard to find parking spaces during peak periods.

Mrs Tréché (2 years ago)
Just amazing experience in nature. Delicious river water, full of tree shade, amazing for families with small kids. I will be back many times in this summer.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Makser

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Derbent Fortress

Derbent is the southernmost city in Russia, occupying the narrow gateway between the Caspian Sea and the Caucasus Mountains connecting the Eurasian steppes to the north and the Iranian Plateau to the south. Derbent claims to be the oldest city in Russia with historical documentation dating to the 8th century BCE. Due to its strategic location, over the course of history, the city changed ownership many times, particularly among the Persian, Arab, Mongol, Timurid, Shirvan and Iranian kingdoms.

Derbent has archaeological structures over 5,000 years old. As a result of this geographic peculiarity, the city developed between two walls, stretching from the mountains to the sea. These fortifications were continuously employed for a millennium and a half, longer than any other extant fortress in the world.

A traditionally and historically Iranian city, the first intensive settlement in the Derbent area dates from the 8th century BC. The site was intermittently controlled by the Persian monarchs, starting from the 6th century BC. Until the 4th century AD, it was part of Caucasian Albania which was a satrap of the Achaemenid Persian Empire. In the 5th century Derbent functioned as a border fortress and the seat of Sassanid Persians. Because of its strategic position on the northern branch of the Silk Route, the fortress was contested by the Khazars in the course of the Khazar-Arab Wars. In 654, Derbent was captured by the Arabs.

The Sassanid fortress does not exist any more, as the famous Derbent fortress as it stands today was built from the 12th century onward. Derbent became a strong military outpost and harbour of the Sassanid empire. During the 5th and 6th centuries, Derbent also became an important center for spreading the Christian faith in the Caucasus.

The site continued to be of great strategic importance until the 19th century. Today the fortifications consist of two parallel defence walls and Naryn-Kala Citadel. The walls are 3.6km long, stretching from the sea up to the mountains. They were built from stone and had 73 defence towers. 9 out of the 14 original gates remain.

In Naryn-Kala Citadel most of the old buildings, including a palace and a church, are now in ruins. It also holds baths and one of the oldest mosques in the former USSR.

In 2003, UNESCO included the old part of Derbent with traditional buildings in the World Heritage List.

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