Tāq Kasrā (طاق كسرى, Arch of Ctesiphon

Tāq Kasrā, Taq-i Kisra, Taq-e Kesra, or the Arch of Ctesiphon is 30 km south of Baghdad, on the eastern bank of the Tigris River. The city of Ctesiphon was originally built in the 2nd century BC by the Parthian Persians, but there is very little left of its former glory nowadays.

The only thing that remains relatively intact is a colossal arch, which is thought to have once formed the façade of a great banqueting hall, which was part of a palace.

It is the 2nd largest, single-span vault of non-reinforced brickwork in the world. Even when the Tigris flooded in 1987 and destroyed almost all of the rest of the building, the Arch of Ctesiphon survived.

The arch is close to the town of Salman Pak, but it can also be visited on a day trip from Baghdad.

Hotels in Tāq Kasrā

Images

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