The Center for Iranian Studies in London, under the umbrella of the London Middle East Institute at SOAS University of London, will host the world premiere of the documentary ‘Taq Kasra: Wonder of Architecture’ on February 1.
Directed by Iranian-Dutch pianist, journalist and researcher Pejman Akbarzadeh, the documentary is the first-ever documentary film on the world’s largest brickwork vault ‘Taq Kasra’, the official website of the university wrote.
Taq Kasra Palace, also called the Arch of Ctesiphon, was the symbol of the Persian Empire during the Sasanid era (224-651 AD), when a major part of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) was part of Persia. It is located near the modern town of Salman Pak, Iraq, and is the only visible remaining structure of the ancient city of Ctesiphon.
The archway is considered a landmark in the history of architecture and is the largest single-span vault of unreinforced brickwork in the world.
Taq Kasra was in serious danger of attacks by the Islamic State terrorist group (aka Daesh and ISIS) in 2015-16. So the Netherlands-based documentarian traveled to Iraq twice and filmed the arch.
The film explores the history and architecture of the iconic monument with respected archaeologists and scholars from around the world.
Following the screening, a question and answer session will be held in the presence of the director and the Iranian-British archaeologist and numismatist Vesta Sarkhosh Curtis who is in charge of Islamic and Iranian coins collection at the Department of Coins and Medals, British Museum.
SOAS University of London is the only center of higher education in Europe specializing in the study of Asia, Africa and the Middle East.
