Taq Kasra

Tāq Kasrā

Tāq Kasrā, also called the Arch of Ctesiphon, is what is left of a big, old building from ancient Persia. It was built a long time ago, between the 3rd and 6th centuries, and is near the town of Salman Pak in Iraq.

This amazing arch was once the front of the main palace in Ctesiphon, the biggest city of the Sasanian Empire. Today, it is the only part of that old city that we can still see.

The arch is very important in the history of architecture. It is the second biggest single-span vault made of unreinforced brickwork in the world, just a little smaller than the Gavmishan Bridge in Iran. People visit Tāq Kasrā to see this wonderful example of ancient building skills and to learn more about the Sasanian Empire.

History

The exact time when the Taq Kasra was built is not fully known. Some believe it was created under Shapur I, who ruled from 242 to 272 AD, while others think it may have started during the time of Khosrow I after 540 AD. This huge arched hall was about 37 meters high, with walls up to 7 meters thick at the base. It was the largest free-standing vault ever made until modern times.

The Taq Kasra was once part of a grand palace and stood as the main entrance to an audience hall. Over many centuries, it was an important place in a city that served as the capital for Persian rulers. The structure was later used by different groups and gradually fell into ruin. Today, it remains one of the most famous ancient monuments in the area.

Modern era

In the 1800s, visitors like French artist Eugène Flandin studied the structure. A big flood in 1888 caused much of it to collapse. In 1940, writer Roald Dahl took a famous photograph of the arch while training as a pilot. Efforts to restore the Taq Kasra began in the 1980s but stopped after conflicts in the early 1990s. Restoration work continued later, but in 2019, part of the arch collapsed again. Plans are in place to repair it with help from other countries.

Documentary film

In 2017, a filmmaker named Pejman Akbarzadeh from the Netherlands made a full-length movie about Taq Kasra. The movie is called Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture. At that time, the monument was in danger, so Akbarzadeh wanted to film it before it could be harmed. The film shows the history and building style of Taq Kasra with help from experts and archaeologists from many countries.