Palace of Darius in Susa, Ancient Achaemenid palace in Shush, Iran
The Palace of Darius in Susa is an archaeological site in Iran's Khuzestan Province, built on a raised platform of mud brick and stone. The complex includes residential zones, columned halls and a gateway structure whose foundations remain visible today.
Darius I ordered the complex built starting in 510 BCE to create a residence for the cooler months. Persian rulers used the site until Alexander's conquest in 330 BCE.
Craftsmen from across the Persian Empire worked on the complex, each bringing techniques from their homeland to shape stone, wood and brick. Visitors today can see foundations and column remains that show how different regions contributed to the construction.
The site lies in the modern town of Shush and is accessible to visitors, with foundations and low wall remains easy to explore on foot. Comfortable shoes help when walking over uneven ground between the ruins.
An inscription in the foundation lists the origin of each building material, naming cedar from Lebanon and stone from Egypt. This record gives a rare window into the trade routes and workshops of the ancient world.
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