“Taq Wasan” which means Arch made of stone is a number of Sassanid inscriptions in Kermanshah, located in the Taq Wasan neighborhood in northeastern Kermanshah, East Kurdistan.

This place was built in the 3rd century AD and is of great artistic and historical value. Several historical events including the coronation of Khosrow Parviz, the coronation of Ardeshir II, the coronation of Shapur II and III, as well as several inscriptions in the Pahlavi alphabet and the deer hunting ceremony by horsemen along with musicians with Harp (Chang) instruments are carved in. The presence of mountains, creek, and lake has made this place a beautiful tourist destination that has attracted people since long ago. Taq Wasan is considered to be one of the oldest and most beautiful historical monuments in East Kurdistan.

This place’s name is “Taq Wasan” in the Kermanshahi dialect. “Taq” means “roof” and “dome”, “wa” means “of” and “san” means “stone” which makes it “Arch of stone” or “stone Arch” in Kurdish.

This site was built in the 3rd century AD. In the first phase, the Sassanid kings chose the area around Persepolis for their sculptures, however during the reign of Ardeshir II and the kings after him, Taq Wasan was chosen for being located on the Silk Road in a spectacular nature and being surrounded by water until this very day.

The Taq Wasan Hunting stone carving is considered to be the first stone carvings in the world. In this stone carving, Khosrow is riding Shabdiz (his horse). There are also figures showing female musicians playing Harp and wind instruments. In another part of the large Arch, there is a scene of pig hunting which is one of the greatest and most unique arts of stone carving.