ISTANBUL, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) -- Turkey has been restoring historical bridges in the country and transforming them into tourism destinations, Turkish Transport and Infrastructure Minister Adil Karaismailoglu said on Monday.

In 2020, 57 bridges out of a total of 2,378 historical bridges have been completed restorations, all of which are made of stone, wood, iron, and reinforced concrete, the minister announced in a written statement.

"We ensure that these bridges, which are of great importance in terms of both cultural and technological history, are restored and preserved in line with their original versions," Karaismailoglu noted.

The restoration processes of over 10 bridges, including Cayli Bridge, built in the 19th century during the Ottoman era in the central Anatolian province of Cankiri, are still going on in line with the international conservation and restoration principles, according to the minister.

The wooden Cayli Bridge over the Melan stream has managed to survive up to today with its original details to a great extent, Karaismailoglu said.

"We try to keep them alive and transfer them to future generations," he stressed, noting that since 2003, restoration works of 373 historical bridges in total have been completed.

Karaismailoglu also noted that 316 bridges that belong to the Ottoman era are located abroad, with most of them in Bosnia and Herzegovina.