Baghdad Kasri Arch; Architectural masterpiece of ancient Iran

It may seem a little strange to you when we say that you can see a building from the ancient Iranian period in Iraq; But this is true, a little far from the city of Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, there are the ruins of a magnificent Iranian palace known as Taq Kasri or Khosrow's Palace and Ivan Madain.

This building was built in the Sassanid period, one of the most powerful empires of ancient Iran, this arch is one of the largest and most magnificent adobe buildings in the world, which displays the glory of ancient Iran.

You can also follow this article by Alibaba Tourism Magazine before your trip to learn more about the history, architecture and tourist attractions near Taq Kasri.

Where is the deficit vault?

Although, once upon a time, Taq Kasri was a part of ancient Iran; But now you have to travel to Iraq to see this magnificent building, currently this palace is located 40 kilometers southeast of Baghdad in Diyala province, Salman Pak city.

Fractional Arch on Google Map

If you plan to visit Tisphon Palace during your trip to Iraq, you can find the address of this area by clicking on the link below.

Location of Takh Kasri on Google Map

The best time to visit Kasri Arch

Iraq has a warm climate similar to the southern cities of Iran, so if you are not used to hot weather, we suggest planning your trip to Iraq in autumn or winter.

Ivan Madaan is not so crowded on normal days of the year; But if you plan to travel to Iraq during special times such as Muharram and Safar and visit this historical place in the meantime, you should expect crowds due to religious ceremonies and the presence of many travelers.

Since this place is outside the city, it is better to plan your trip in such a way that you return to your accommodation before sunset and you can visit other places of interest in Iraq.

access path to Kasri vault

Although today, nothing remains of that magnificent building except a symbolic arch; But it is still worth seeing. To reach Kasri Palace from Tehran, you can choose one of the two routes by land or air.

Mehran border in Ilam province is the closest land route to Tisophon's palace; So, if you plan to travel by land from Tehran, we suggest that you first reach the border of Mehran and from there rent a transit car to reach this important and historical building.

But if you can't bear to travel by road, it is better to choose the air route. In this method, first, you will experience a two-hour flight from Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran to Baghdad International Airport. After Baghdad Airport, you can go to Taq Kasri by taxi or bus. .

Which way is best to reach and visit this architectural masterpiece depends on you, your budget, time and lifestyle.

The history of the Kasri vault

Taq Kasri or Ivan Madaan is one of the most important and magnificent historical buildings of Iran built in the Sassanid period, this building is located in the city of Tisfon, the capital of the Sassanids, in present-day Iraq.

The exact date of construction of Kasri Arch is not known and there are different opinions and stories behind this historical place. In some sources, it is said that the construction of the Kasri palace started during the Parthian period and its development and progress was during the Sassanid period and Anushirvan kingdom.

However, there are three other narratives about the construction date of this building, each of which is attributed to one of the Sassanid kings.

A group believes that this building was built during the time of Shapur I, the Sassanid king (241 to 224 AD), others attribute its construction to the time of Khosrow I, known as Anushirvan (531 to 579 AD), and the third version is that The Kasri arch was built during the time of Khosrow Parviz, the grandson of Anushirvan (590 to 628 AD).

Finally, what is narrated in most of the historical stories shows the construction of the palace during the time of Khosroparviz, although the construction of the palace itself has a different story.

According to the old narratives, Khosrow Parviz invited the best architects and artists to build this palace, one of the people present is a person named Farqan who was one of the prominent architects of that time, Farqan started his work by building a wall 10 meters wide.

After the construction of the Farghan wall, he asked Khosrow Parvez to stop the work for a while so that he could measure the settlement of the wall.

Khosrow Parviz disagreed with this and Fargan ran away at night. With Furgan's escape, the construction of the Tisphon Palace was left unfinished. After a period of almost three years, Furqan returned to the king and asked to measure the wall.

Although Khosroparviz intended to imprison Fargan; But he agreed to this request and the result of the two-meter meeting was the wall. After knowing the result, Farqan said: “If I had continued the construction of the palace that day, nothing would be left of it now.”

Khosrow Parviz Sassani, who liked Farghan's intelligence, ordered to continue the construction of the palace and its construction was completed in about 7 years.

However, with the Arab attack on Iran and the secession of a part of the territory of the Iranian government and the change of borders, this huge building was separated from ancient Iran, and now nothing remains of this magnificent building except the Kasri arch; But from the old photos, you can understand the art of the architects of that period, the engineering skills and the way of building with bricks and plaster.

The reason for naming the deficit arch

The original name of this building is Ivan Mada'en, which is also known as Kasri Arch, maybe the reason for this name is interesting for you. In the past, the Arabs called the Sassanid kings Kasri, Kasri is the same as Khosrow in Arabic, that's why this building is also known as the Palace or the Kasri Arch.

Partial arch architecture

This building was originally a part of a large palace that included several porches and halls and rooms.

Today, only one arch remains with a large gap on it. Kasri vault is made of big and strong bricks that are placed on top of each other in a crescent shape. This arch is designed in such a way that it supports its weight well and is resistant to the forces.

Kasri arch with 25 meters width and 37 meters height and brick facade is one of the masterpieces of Sassanid architecture.

At that time, the construction of vaults had become popular; But due to the lack of wood resources, the architects adopted a new method to build them and replaced the arched rings with wooden molds, which is one of the important features of the arch architecture.

The construction of the Kasri arch took about seven years and its construction was completed in 570 AD. The Kasri arch has witnessed many important events throughout history.

This building has been the venue for many important celebrations and ceremonies; Also, during the Arab attack on Iran, Taq Kasri was used as the command headquarters of the Sassanid army.

Architectural wonders of the Kasri arch

What distinguishes Taq Kasri and has surprised today's architects and gardeners is the special architecture of this building. The Kasri arch is the tallest adobe arch of the ancient period, with a height of 37, which was built without any molding or special tools and only with the mortar used in it, i.e. brick and plaster.

The reason for the tilting of the wall of the Kasri vault

If you take a look at the photos of this place, you will probably notice that part of the palace walls are crooked, as we said above, behind this historical building, various stories have been told.

The reason for the crookedness of the wall of the Kasri vault is another one of those historical stories during the Sasanian kingdom, which shows the justice and chivalry of Anushirvan.

According to traditions, during the construction of the Kasri arch, the workers had to demolish some people's houses to build the palace wall.

One of these houses belonged to an old woman who refused to sell her house even for more than its real price. When Anushirvan learned about this incident, he ordered that the wall of the palace be built at the site of the old woman's house in a crooked way so that they do not enter the privacy of her house and respect her right.

It turned out that the wall of the palace is tilted in a strange way at a certain point and after traveling a little open path, it has moved forward in a straight line.

Of course, this story is only a narrative and the tilting of the wall of the Kasri vault may have other reasons.

The gap created in the fractional arch

The gap created in the Kasri arch is one of the prominent features of this adobe palace. This gap is located in the upper part of the arch and divides the arch lengthwise into two parts.

Although the main reason for this gap is not clear; But among the most common reasons, we can mention the following.

The location of this building in the country of Iraq and the neglect and carelessness of the Iraqi government to this historical building has caused the fabric to wear out and the building to fall and create this gap on the arch.

The continuous wars in Iraq have played a role in the destruction of this structure and its surroundings, in addition to these cases, earthquakes, rains, floods and other natural factors also play a role in the destruction of this ancient work.

Unfortunately, in 2021, another part of Tisphon's palace collapsed and this building will gradually become a ruin. All this shows the deterioration of the situation, disorder and lack of care by Iraq in the restoration and maintenance of Kasri Palace.

Although the Iraqi government once invited the Czech country to restore this historical monument; However, due to the use of poor quality materials, this restoration was of no use and the palace continues to fall.

Also, until now, a request from the Iraqi government to register this valuable building in UNESCO has not been registered, so that with their help, it might be possible to prevent the destruction of the Kasri arch.

In addition to the above reasons, we can also mention this old story that is common among Arabs and Iranians.

According to this story, on the night of Prophet Mohammad's (PBUH) birth, the vault of the palace shook and its 14 congresses collapsed, and this gap has been created on the palace wall ever since.

Taq Kasri amenities

Since Ivan Mada'en is located outside the city, it has limited amenities; So, before going to this area, be sure to have water and some food with you.

Sightseeing places near the Kasri arch

Visiting this area is not only limited to Tisphon's Palace, you can also visit two other tourist attractions that are worth visiting near the Kasri Arch.

Tigris River

Ivan Mada'en is located on the east bank of the Tigris River, you can also see the Tigris River and the surrounding scenery after a short tour of Tisphon's Palace. The Tigris River has played an important role in the development and progress of this area since ancient times, and today it is considered one of the main sources of water in Iraq.

– Tomb of Salman Farsi

The tomb of Salman Farsi, 2 kilometers away from Taq Kasri, is another historical and religious attraction near this area.

Salman Farsi was one of the companions of the Prophet who was appointed as the governor of Mada'in after the battle of Khandaq. Salman Farsi is known as Salman Pak because of his purity and asceticism, for this reason, after his death, this region became known as Salman Pak.

Also, Amzoh Salman Farsi Mosque is considered one of the historical mosques of Iraq and welcomes many travelers and tourists.

Recommendations for visiting Kasri Arch

The Kasri Vault is open for visits every day and does not require an entrance fee; But don't forget to bring enough money for your round trip fare and use reliable taxis.

If you are traveling from Baghdad to this area, you should know that during this short trip you will pass through several checkpoints, which will make your travel time longer; So, adjust the time of your visit to Tisphon's Palace with this tip.

Due to the open space of the area, we suggest you use a hat, glasses, and sunscreen during the day to prevent sunburn; Also, due to the limited facilities of the area, if you are going to spend a long time in Tisphon Palace and its surroundings, take water and food with you; Also, there is no special shelter in this place; So don't come to this area on rainy days.

Although it goes without saying; But don't forget that Kasri Arch is a distant national heritage that must be protected; After writing souvenirs and carvings on the remaining walls of the palace, avoid.