Sarpol-e Zahab is one of the beautiful cities of Kermanshah province, which attracts many enthusiasts by having a diverse collection of tourism sights. Among these sights, we can mention various natural phenomena such as waterfalls and large and full of water springs. Valuable ancient and cultural sights can be seen in the corners of this city, the most important of which is the 4800-year-old inscriptions of “Anobanini“.

15 km east of Sarpol-e Zahab and on the way from this city to the center of the province, there is an old monument in a beautiful natural environment which is known as “Taq-e-Gera” or “Taq-e Shirin” (Gera Arch or Shirin Arch). The arch is a cube-shaped structure built of large, carved stones.

This arch is located next to an old and narrow road that is a short distance from the main road of Sarpol-e Zahab to Kermanshah. There is no other building around the archway for a relatively long distance, and this factor has added to its attractive appearance.

There are disagreements about the time of construction of this building. Some attribute it to the Parthian period and others to the Sassanid period. But according to archaeological evidence, this building was apparently built in the late Sassanid period and probably during the reign of Khosrow II.

Although the actual function of this building has not been determined yet, various functions have been mentioned for it, such as “Caravan Road Memorial“, “Royal procession stop“, “Royal Erica“, “Border Checkpoint” and “Victory Monument“.

Arched, along with other ancient and natural monuments, turns the city of Sarpol-e Zahab into one of the most important tourist destinations in Kermanshah province and attracts many interested people every year.
Near the archway, there are limited amenities that can be used.

Mehdi Gholami.