Pejman Akbarzadeh – Taq Kasra : 3rd-century Persian Monument in Iraq

Australian Premiere of TAQ KASRA

The documentary film “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” was screened for the first time in Australia on 30 January 2019 at the Ian Potter Center of the National Gallery of Victoria. The screening, which was attended by nearly 100 people, was part of a two-day symposium on “Cultural Heritage in West Asia“ and co-sponsored by Deakin University (Melbourne) and the Australian Research Council.

Left to Right: Dr Ali Mozaffari, Dr David Harvey, Pejman Akbarzadeh

The film screening was followed by a Q&A session with the director Pejman Akbarzadeh, moderated by Dr. Ali Mozaffari of Deakin University and author of “Forming National Identity in Iran: The Idea of Homeland Derived from Ancient Persian and Islamic” and Dr. David Harvey, Associate Professor of archaeology and heritage at Aarhus University in Denmark.

“Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” is the first-ever documentary film on this iconic Persian palace.

Also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, Taq Kasra is a symbol of the Persian Empire in the Sassanian era (221–654 AD), when a major part of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of Persia. The mysterious monument was abandoned after the Arab invasion of Persia (Iran) in the 7th century AD but has remained a source of inspiration for archaeologists, poets, and other travelers.

Taq Kasra was in serious danger of ISIS attacks in 2014–16 and this was the main motivation for documentary-maker Pejman Akbarzadeh, based in the Netherlands, to travel to Iraq at that time and film the arch before it was potentially destroyed.

Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture, the first-ever documentary film about this arch, explores various aspects of the site with respected architects, archaeologists, and scholars from around the world. The film also portrays the huge impact of the 20th-century wars and ideological policies on this ancient building.

The following scholars and architects have been interviewed in the film:
(in order of appearance)

– Hossein Amanat | Persian-Canadian architect
– Prof. Ed Keall | Former director of Royal Ontario Museum’s Near Eastern Department
– Prof. Touraj Daryaee | Director of Center for Persian Studies University of California
– Dr. Ute Franke | State Museums of Berlin
– Dr. Vesta Sarkhosh-Curtis | British Museum
– Dr. Ali Mozaffari | Australian Research Council, Deakin University
– Dr. Mahmoud Mullakhalaf | Iraqi Ambassador to UNESCO
– Dr. Qais Huseen Rasheed | Head of Iraqi State Board of Antiquities
– Dr. Miroslav Zeman | ProjektyZeman, Prague
– Prof. Robert Hillenbrand | University of Edinburgh
Guest Artists: Shahrokh Heydari & Fraidoun Warasta

The DVD of the film is sold out.
Academic institutions and libraries are welcome to stream the film on their server: info [at] taqkasra.com
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PRODUCED BY PERSIAN DUTCH NETWORK
FUNDED BY SOUDAVAR MEMORIAL FOUNDATION & TOOS FOUNDATION

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Pejman Akbarzadeh (b. 1980, Shiraz) is a documentary maker, journalist, and pianist. His reference book on the 20th-century composers and conductors of Persia (Iran), written when he was just 18, has been used as a source for academic publications including the Encyclopaedia Iranica. He has also performed Persian piano recitals in various European venues such as Amsterdam Royal Concertgebouw.

Pejman began working as a journalist while still in Tehran. Following a rise in state oppression of the press, he moved to the Netherlands in 2006 and worked with the Persian-language Radio Zamaneh as a senior producer for eight years. He has also contributed to several other media outlets including BBC and VOA.

In 2009 Pejman started a new phase of his career. Recognising the wider catchment of visual media over literature, that same year he completed his first documentary, the feature-length film Hayedeh: Legendary Persian Diva. The film was screened at festivals in both Europe and the United States and nominated for Best Documentary at the Noor Iranian Film Festival in Los Angeles.

“Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” (2018) is Pejman Akbarzadeh’s second documentary film, for which he traveled to Iraq twice, despite the lurking presence of ISIL nearby. The film premiered at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London (SOAS) in February 2018 and subsequently screened at various international conferences, museums and universities including the Smithsonian Institution’s Freer|Sackler Gallery in Washington DC, Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, Yale University, the 8th Biennial Convention of the Association for the Study of the Persianate Societies in Tbilisi and the 12th Conference of the Iranian Studies Association at UC Irvine. More: www.PejmanAkbarzadeh.nl

(BBC Live Interview with Pejman Akbarzadeh following the world premiere of the film in London)

Special Thanks to Tori Egherman, Stephanie Fauver, Farzad Seifikaran and Thomas Newell

Taq Kasra documentary screening @ YALE University

Left to Right: Prof. Abbas Amanat, Prof. Kevin van Bladel, Pejman Akbarzadeh, Nahid Siamdoust. Yale University, 27 September 2018. Photo: Babak Ejlali

On 27 September 2018, the documentary film “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” was screened at Yale University’s MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies. The event was organised by the Yale Program in Iranian Studies, and well attended by Yale members as well as the wider New Haven community.

The event was started by a short lecture by Prof. Kevin van Bladel, entitled “The Sassanian World of the Vault of Chosroes,” which offered historical context to the Sasanian Persian Empire. After the film screening, there was a lively discussion in which Pejman Akbarzadeh (director of the documentary), Prof. Abbas Amanat and Prof. Kevin van Bladel answered the questions. Dr. Nahid Siamdoust (Yarshater Fellow at the Yale Program in Iranian Studies) moderated the discussion.

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BBC: World Premiere of Taq Kasra documentary in London

World Premiere of “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture”, SOAS, University of London, 1 February 2018

Nader Soltanpour
BBC Persian Service
2 February 2018

Taq-e Kasra, which its history goes back to around 2000 years ago, is cited as the world’s largest brickwork vault. It was a palace in Ctesiphon (Mada’in) and one of the most magnificent monuments of Sasanian Persia.

Taq-e Kasra is located in south of Baghdad. Last night a documentary was screened at SOAS, University of London which was the world premiere of the film. Pejman Akbarzadeh has made this documentary and is here with us:

Q: Please tell us about the historical architectural importance of Taq-e Kasra.

A: Taq Kasra, or Arch of Ctesiphon, which its height is 37 meters, is the largest single-span brick vault. It is the symbol of Persian Empire in Sasanian era. As the monument is not located in the Persian territory for centuries and also the situation is Iraq is critical, the arch has been neglected. Taq Kasra is in the area that Sasanian army was defeated by the Arab army [in the 7th century AD], and is therefore of historically importance, particularly for Persians (Iranians).

During the 2015-2016 presence of ISIS in Iraq, Taq Kasra was in serious danger because of the group’s hostility with the historical sites. ISIS was just 60 KM away from Taq Kasra and actually this was one of the main reasons that I made this documentary because I was quite frightened. They could attack this arch and the damage inflicted upon cultural heritage in northern Iraq, could befall this arch as well.

Q: How has Taq Kasra been identified in the contemporary era?

A: I can say since Reza Shah era a new movement was started to reintroduce the arch. Postal stamps depicting Taq Kasra were printed. Also the architecture of the National Museum of Iran was inspired by Taq Kasra. Actually in the film we have a special section with Ali Mozaffari, an expert of architecture and heritage at the Australian Research Council, which explains in a period that Persian society was dominated by the religious values, the government started movements to make (re)acquaint people with the past.

Pejman Akbarzadeh (R), Vesta Sarkhosh-Curtis (L), Q & A session at SOAS

Q: The artifacts discovered from the archaeological digs in the area, where are they kept at present?

A: It is an interesting point that those who are interested in the history of ancient Persia in Sasanian era cannot see these artifacts inside the country. This is because the main excavations around Taq Kasra were done in 1929 by German expeditions and in 1931 by American teams joined them and the artifacts that were discovered during these expeditions, the largest collection is kept at Pergamon Museum in Berlin and a smaller collection at the Metropolitan Museum in New York.

Q: Because of its geographical position, being a Persian historic monument near Baghdad in Iraq, and given the relationships between the two countries in recent decades, which include serious tensions and an eight-year war, how is this monument perceived and how was it used?

A: Since early 1980s there were two moves for instrumentalising Taq Kasra and its use for ideological propaganda by both governments of Iran and Iraq. Saddam Hussein used it as the symbol of the Persian defeat in Iraq. He even commissioned North Korean painters to paint a panorama of the [Qadasiyya] battle in the 7th century AD to which was erected opposite Taq Kasra for all visitors to see – indeed the place had become a tourist attraction.

And in Iran as an Islamic Revolution had happened, the officials used to promote the idea that ancient Persia was full of injustice and it was Islam which brought equality to the Persians. They used to promote a hadith which indicates when the prophet Mohammad was born the arch cracked. But similar to Noah’s ark story there is no historical basis to this claim.

However, an interesting point is that in last night’s premier at the University of London, lots of Iraqis residing in the UK, also attended the event who expressed a lot of positive emotions, despite the fact that the film is more focused on Persia (Iran) and the Sasanian history. It appears that despite all such propagandas, Taq Kasra is itself turning into a topic that may bring the people of Persia and Iraq closer to each other.

Source: BBC

[The world premiere of “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” was organised by the London Middle East Institute (LMEI) at the University of London. Special Thanks to Dr. Hassan Hakimian, Dr. Cyrus Alai, Vincenzo Paci-Delton, Aki Elborzi and Fataneh Farajollahi].

“Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” is produced by the Persian Dutch Network, in association with Toos Foundation in London and funded by Soudavar Memorial Foundation in Geneva.