Ewan Khosrau from Ctesiphon to Al-Madaen
History of Ctesiphon and its meaning
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| Ctesiphon city refering to inside the yellow hole |
In the year (126 BC: AD), when the Parthians wrested Iraq from the Seleucids, Ctesiphon developed from a village into a walled city, attracting a large number of residents, thanks to its richness and the impregnability of its walls, So the Parthians took it, after merging it with Seleucia, as a camp for their armies, and as a comfortable residence for their kings, so it became their winter capital.
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| Roman Emperor Trajan |
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| two Roman emperors Caracalla and Marcus Aurelius |
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| Persian Emperor Sapur 2nd |
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| Persiam emperor Yazdegerd 3rd |
In the Islamic era from Ctesiphon to Almadaen
In the year (637 AD), the Muslims, after their victory in the Battle of Al-Qadisiyah,
managed to cross the Tigris River and enter Ctesiphon, from which the last
Sasanian Emperor (Yazdegerd the 3rd) withdrew with his army.
Before that, and with the birth of the Prophet of Islam,
Muhammad a crack occurred in
one of the walls of the palace, the impact of which is still present today.
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| this crack occured with the birth of Muhammed |
It is now located in the Al-Madaen region in Wasit Governorate, between the city of Kut and the city of Baghdad.
Ewan Khosra
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| Khosrau Anushirawn statue |
Tāq Kasrā (Arabic: طاق كسرى, romanized: ṭāq kisrā), also transcribed as Taq-i Kisra or Taq-e Kesra (Persian: طاق کسری, romanized: tâğe kasrâ) or Ayvān-e Kesrā (Persian: ایوان خسرو, romanized: Eivâne Xosrow, meaning Iwan of Chosroes).
Description of the Ewan
It is an arch standing out from the main Iwan of the royal palace (the White Palace), and this arch is tied with bricks without the use of supports, concrete or steel, and it is the widest arch of its kind in the world.
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| The arch that represents the main gate of the palace |
The width of this arch exceeds (25 m), while the height of its highest point above the level of the brick paved floor is approximately (50 m), with the arch the right wing of the façade still standing after the left wing was demolished.
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| an image of Ewan (palace) Khosrou |
The case of the collapse of the left wing was recorded by the Iraqi historian Jacob Sarkis, and he mentioned that it occurred in April 1885 due to the flooding of the Tigris River and heavy rains and storms, and pillars were placed to support the left side.
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| the Iraqi historian Jacob Sekis |
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| an imaginary picture for the Persian throne |
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| this hall for advisors meeting |
and the hall meeting of his advisors This great hall is roofed with bricks
without pillars.
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| the ceilling roofed by bricks without pillars |
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| the sub-gate of the second inner room |
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| the sub-gate of the second inner room |
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| wall paintings depicting Antioch battle |
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| A statue adorns one of the walls |
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| this crack resulting the floods of 1888 |
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| An image for the Ewan before the floods in 1888 |
The reason for preserving this Ewan until now is attributed to the Muslims they took it as a mosque after entering the city, in which a number of companions settled, including the companion (Salman Al-Farsi), who became the ruler of it until he died and was buried there in the year (638 AD). (Salman Al-Taher) relative to his shrine.
This heritage site is one of the most prominent remains of the heritage and civilization on the land of Mesopotamia.
The Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein began restoration efforts in the 1980's CE as part of their policy to rebuild ancient sites in honor of the past and to attract tourism to the country but these efforts were stopped by the Persian Gulf War of 1991 CE. Restoration efforts were not continued until c. 2004 CE which resulted in the reconstruction and stabilization of the northern section of the palace and Taq Khosrau.
A Czech company by the name of Avers was contracted to restore the site and completed their work in 2017 CE but, two years later, their work collapsed, damaging Taq Khosrau further.
The antiquities of the covered Ewan still retain its splendor, as well as the cleft wall, the Department of Antiquities in Iraq maintains and takes care of the building.
