Susa is one of the oldest cities in the world.It was a principal city of the Elamite, Persian and Parthian empires and was originally known to the Elamites as ‘Susan’ or ‘Susun’.
The palace complex of the Persian King Darius I, the Great (522-486 BCE), provides unique evidence of the sophistication of Achaemenid architecture and construction. This palace, built 2500 years ago in western Iran, lay at the centre of the Persian Empire that stretched from the Nile and the Aegean to the Indus Valley. First rediscovered in 1851, the Palace of Darius was partly excavated over the next century but it was only field research between 1969 and 1979 by the noted French archaeologist Jean Perrot which revealed the site’s full dimension and complexity. Its bull-headed capitals, enamel friezes of richly-clad archers holding spears, figures of noble lions and winged monsters, introduced a new iconography into the ancient Persian world. The discovery and excavation of the palace, which this book records, thus casts a new light on the beginnings of the Achaemenid period. Edited by the distinguished scholar of ancient Persia, John Curtis, the lavishly illustrated volume is a work of seminal importance for the understanding of ancient Persia, likely to be radically altered by Perrot’s research and findings.
The Tomb of Daniel is the traditional burial place of the biblical prophet Daniel. Various locations have been named for the site, but the tomb in Susa, Iran, is the most widely accepted, it being first mentioned by Benjamin of Tudela, who visited Asia between 1160 and 1163. Visitors are able to walk through the remains of the ancient palace that stands over the Tomb of Daniel. The conical building shown in the pictures above is where the mausoleum of Daniel stands
The Chogha Zanbil is the oldest existing Ziggurat or step temple situated in the Near East, belonging to the Elamite period. The Chogha Zanbil located in the province of Khuzestan in Iran is one of its kinds remaining outside Mesopotamia. The name Chogha Zanbil, translated as ‘basket mound’ is a significant archaeological site of Iran and the near East.The area was destroyed in 640 BC and abandoned and later got covered by sands carried by the river floods. The locals called it a sand hill without knowing what was inside it for almost 2500 years. Chogha Zanbil was later excavated by Roman Ghirshman during the period from 1951 to 1961.