Great arch of Ctesiphon or Iwan of Khosrow is a late antique Sasanid ruin located historical site of Ctesiphon near Baghdad in Iraq built by Khosrow I (Kisra, Chosroes the Elder), the great Sasanian Persian king. The standing ruin, the Iwan and its blind facade is part of a huge palace complex. The parabolic arch (Iwan) is about 35 meters high and is largest brick vault of the world. THe complex demolished by Abbasid caliph Al-mansour for re-use its materials and marbles.
The Romantic Ruin painted whilst the Joseph William Lennox Napier [artist] was a Prisoner of War in Mesopotamia. The artist served as a Lieutenant with the 4th Battalion South Wales Borderers during the First World War.
