TaqKasra.com — On 7 March 2019, parts of Taq Kasra collapsed only two years after the completion of a conservation operation by Avers. The Czech firm had been commissioned by the Iraqi Ministry of Culture.
Taq Kasra, also known as the Arch of Ctesiphon, is the world’s largest brick vault and the symbol of the Persian Empire in the Sasanian era (224-651 AD). The monument is located about 35 km south of Baghdad, in modern-day Iraq, which was, at the time, part of Persia.
According to NRT TV, Kazim Shammari, head of the Iraqi National Alliance, has urged Iraqi authorities and UNESCO to act quickly to stabilise this massive arch.
Amsterdam-based Pejman Akbarzadeh, who recently made a documentary film titled “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture,” says the Czech firm in charge of the recent conservation operation lacked sufficient expertise and experience in such conservation, and used a layer of concrete which, rather than protecting the arch, has resulted in damaging the edifice.
Akbarzadeh, in an interview with London-based Persian-language ‘Iran International‘ TV, has criticised Iraqi authorities for failing to register Taq Kasra as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. He also criticised the Iranian Embassy in Baghdad for neglecting this iconic monument in favor of Shia shrines in Iraq.
In Tehran, several newspapers have covered the partial collapse of Taq Kasra. The Society of Iranian Archaeology has also expressed its concern about the situation in a press release. In the city of Yazd, Sepanta Niknam, a Zoroastrian member of the City Council, has urged Iranian President Rouhani to follow up on the issue during his trip to Iraq. There has been no official reaction to this development by Iraqi or Iranian authorities.
– AUDIO: Latest Situation of Taq Kasra (BBC Persian Service Special Program)
– Special Thanks to Stephanie Fauver and Ali Mozaffari.
Also known as the ‘Arch of Ctesiphon’, TAQ KASRA is the world’s largest brick vault and the symbol of the Persian Empire in the Sassanian era (221–654 AD), when a major part of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of Persia.
NOTE: The DVD of the documentary is sold out. Academic institutions and libraries are welcome to stream the film on their server. Please contact: info [at] taqkasra.com
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. EdKeall | 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
________________________________________ 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.com
(BBC Live Interview with Pejman Akbarzadeh following the world premiere of the film in London)
On September 28, 2018 the documentary film “Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture” was screened at the US Military Academy in West Point, NY. The event created a unique opportunity for the cadets to learn about the history of the Persian Empire in the Sasanian era (224-651 AD).
The event was organised at the Department of Foreign Languages and moderated by Amir Irani-Tehrani, Persian Program Director at the academy since 2012. Dr. Tehrani actively organises events for the cadets of the US Military Academy to familiarize them with various aspects of Persian (Iranian) culture.
Photo by Stephanie Fauver
Following the film screening, a Q&A session was held with documentary director Pejman Akbarzadeh. He was mainly asked about his motivation for making a documentary film on Taq Kasra (also known as Arch of Ctesiphon) and his experiences working in Iraq. Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture is a 2018 Persian Dutch Network production, funded by Soudavar Memorial and Toos Foundations.
SI (Press Release) – Located on the eastern bank of the Tigris River near present-day Baghdad, Iraq, the city of Ctesiphon served as a royal capital of the Persian Empire in the Parthian and Sasanian eras for over eight hundred years. The city’s most iconic structure was the Taq Kasra (Throne of Khosrow) palace, one of the wonders of the ancient world. The palace’s vaulted brick throne room measures eighty-four feet across, making it the largest of its kind.
To celebrate this exceptional monument, Touraj Daryaee, Matthew Canepa, Katharyn Hanson, and Richard Kurin discuss the site’s importance and recent preservation efforts. Then, watch the first documentary on this unique monument, Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture, directed by Pejman Akbarzadeh, produced by Persian Dutch Network, and funded by the Soudavar Memorial and Toos Foundations. Watch the trailer.
The screening will be followed by a Q&A session with Pejman Akbarzadeh.
Date & Place:
Saturday, September 15, 2018, 2 pm Freer Gallery of Art(Meyer Auditorium), Washington DC
Cost: Free
Co-sponsor
This event was organized with support from the Tina and Hamid Moghadam Endowment for Iran and the Ancient Near East and the Ancient Near East Fund.
Following the Smithsonian’s event, the documentary will be screened at Yale University on 27 September (6 PM, Luce Auditorium) and at the US Military Academy in West Point on 28 September 2018.
Both events will be followed by a Q&A session with the director.
Photo by Stephanie Fauver
