Show MYSTERIOUS ARCH That Is MONUMENT to MAGNIFICENCE the days when Bagdad was an insignificant I JN IN town with its sister city on the opposite bank of th the Tigris was a splendid splendid splendid did city the capital first of the who fought Rome so stoutly for two hundred years afterwards of those kings of Persia who at one time seemed likely to destro destroy the shattered shattered shattered shat shat- Roman empire and to establish their throne at Constantinople It was at that the Great Arch was I f J w is- is v f I m u m W i ij I 1 W i l tY i l aft L Ll h l' l r vi G l lr r Sk V Y T. T l ll dY l C l. l Ruins of the reared according to the usual belief by about It was clearly designed as a great throne hall The front w was s closed only by immense curtains which were raised at a signal to show the great king on his throne in all his splendor of cloth of gold jc jewels and high tiara tiar beneath th the vast arch of the vault which there is reason to believe was lined with azure tiles to represent the heavens and sprinkled with golden stars similar to the throne hall of the Parthian kings described by Indeed Indeed Indeed In In- deed it is possible that the two buildings are really really really real real- ly one and the same that sane that merely restored restored restored re re- stored the earlier edifice It is at all events certain that the Arch of had its prototypes One of them is the palace at Hatra now Hadr El-Hadr southwest of I I Great Arch of which displays the same features halls features halls with open fronts in an imposing facade The date of the Palace of Hatra can be fixed with certainty to the first century after Christ so that th the build builders rs had good models from which to work The open fronts of these halls were natural since both and Persians Persians Persians Per Per- almost lived on horseback No doubt o bt the Palace of C siphon witnessed brilliant reviews of his hosts of cavalry by when the splendid Persian nobles with their squadrons glittering in iii mail rode into the great hall raised swords and lances in salute to the King of Kings seated on his throne and dashed forth again into the open displaying to the utmost th their ir horsemanship horsemanship horsemanship horse horse- manship and the paces of their steeds Until comparatively recently both wings ings of the arch were intact and at nt the crown of the vault was still to be seen teen the ring from which the great screening curtain was hung The local Arabs made many attempts to carry it away believing that it was of gold and at last succeeded Toda the monument of the most magnificent of Persian Persian kings is in a sadly ruined condition but the vas vast arch is still almost intact intact intact-a a silent witness to th the tha glory clory which is no more I |