According 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.