Tourist Attractions
Located in ancient Elam (today Khuzestan province in southwest Iran), Tchogha Zanbil (Dur-Untash, or City of Untash, in Elamite) was founded by the Elamite king Untash- Napirisha (1275-1240 BCE) as the religious center of Elam. The principal element of this complex is an enormous ziggurat dedicated to the Elamite divinities Inshushinak and Napirisha. It is the largest ziggurat outside of Mesopotamia and the best preserved of this type of stepped pyramidal monument. The archaeological site of Tchogha Zanbil is an exceptional expression of the culture, beliefs, and ritual traditions of one of the oldest indigenous peoples of Iran. Our knowledge of the architectural development of the middle Elamite period (1400-1100 BCE) comes from the ruins of Tchogha Zanbil and of the capital city of Susa 38 km to the north-west of the temple).
Susa or Shushan in the Bible (in Elamite: Šušan) is an ancient city of the Elamite civilization, which became in the 5th century BC. J-C the winter capital city of the Achaemenes Persian Empire, located in the south-west of present-day Iran about 140 km east of the Tigris River. The small Iranian city of Shush which is nearby, has taken its continuity. Susa was founded around 4000 BC. J-C on a crossing point that connects the Tiger Valley to the Iranian plateau. The city is mentioned in the Bible. It is one of the oldest cities in the region; it was occupied until the fourteenth century, a period of more than 5000 years. It is therefore a very important city to capture the history of the Middle East during these millennia. The most important part of the ancient Susa is an area of about one hundred hectares divided into three parts, which overlooks a small river, the Shaour. The first is the Apadana, named after the great palace that first Darius built here, on the ruins of Elamite buildings.
