Arch of Triumph (Palmyra)
| Monumental Arch | |
|---|---|
| قوس النصر | |
Ruins of the Monumental Arch in 2010
|
|
| Alternative names | Arch of Triumph Arch of Septimius Severus |
| General information | |
| Status | Destroyed, some stonework survives |
| Type | Ornamental arch |
| Architectural style | Roman/Palmyrene |
| Location | Palmyra, Syria |
| Coordinates | 34°32′59.9″N 38°16′15.6″E / 34.549972°N 38.271000°E |
| Completed | 3rd century |
| Destroyed | October 2015 |
| Type | Cultural |
| Criteria | i, ii, iv |
| Designated | 1980 (4th session) |
| Part of | Site of Palmyra |
| Reference no. | 23 |
| State Party |
 Syria
|
| Region | Arab States |
| Endangered | 2013–present |
The Monumental Arch, also called the Arch of Triumph (Arabic: قوس النصر) or the Arch of Septimius Severus, was a Roman ornamental archway in Palmyra, Syria. It was built in the 3rd century during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus. Its ruins later became one of the main attractions of Palmyra until it was officially destroyed by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in 2015. Most of its stonework still survives and there are plans to rebuild it using anastylosis.
The Monumental Arch was built sometime during the reign of emperor Septimius Severus, which lasted from 193 to 211 AD; it linked the main street of the Colonnade and the Temple of Bel. The arch was meant to integrate the southern and central parts of the Colonnade as its location marks a change of 30° in the orientation of the street between the Tetrapylon and the Temple of Bel, so to solve this problem, the arch incorporated two façades angled apart from one another.
According to some sources, the structure was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the Romans' victories over the Parthians. The structure was sometimes erroneously referred to as Hadrian's Arch, although emperor Hadrian had been dead for over half a century when the arch was built.
The ruins of the arch, along with other monuments in Palmyra, were depicted in engravings by the British traveller Robert Wood, which were published in London in 1753 under the title The ruins of Palmyra; otherwise Tedmor in the desart.
The Monumental Arch was restored in the 1930s. When the ruins of Palmyra became a tourist attraction in the 20th and early 21st centuries, the arch was one of the city's main sights.
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