• Address:

    Ctesiphon, al-Madain, Republic of Iraq

  • Client:

    Czech Government

  • Description of work:

    Scientific research of the building materials

  • Realization:

    2004-2006

The scientific research of building materials of the Ctesiphon Arch (Iwan al-Madain, Taq-i Kisra), which is currently one of the most important and the most endangered monuments of the Ancient Mesopotamia in general, was carried out by GEMA in the frame of the Czech governmental aid for preservation of the Iraqi cultural heritage.

Due to the security situation in 2004, the GEMA ART experts could not visit the monument site personally, however the Iraqi partners collected basic building materials samples, e.g. the bricks, binding mortar and plaster fragments that were transferred to the Czech Republic for the science analysis.

The project was carried out in close cooperation with the Iraqi Ministry of Culture, State Board of Antiquities and Heritage in Baghdad and participation of the Iraqi, Jordanian, Austrian and Czech scientists in the processing of the natural science analysis.

The aim of this project was to collect all relevant data and information about the results of the previous researches and preservation and conservation interventions in Ctesiphon done in the past first. Then, to carry out a consecutive research based on the received data about the current monument condition and natural scientific tests and analysis of the building materials. The science analyses of the samples were carried out in the Institute of Rock Structure and Mechanics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic.