Shush

Shush is a small town in Khuzestan province in southwestern Iran, grown up on the site of ancient Susa — capital of Elam and winter residence of the Achaemenid kings. The Royal Road from Sardis ended here, and the palace at Susa received envoys from across the empire. Today it is a quiet provincial town, but the excavations beside it are among the most important in the Middle East.

Main sights

• Ancient Susa — a large dig with the remains of the Apadana of Darius, the acropolis and residential quarters, its layers running thousands of years deep.
• Castle of the French archaeologists (Château de Morgan) — a brick fortress on the hill above the excavation, built by the expedition in the late 1890s to protect the finds, and the town's recognisable silhouette.
• Tomb of the prophet Daniel — a shrine with a distinctive ribbed conical dome, and a place of pilgrimage.
• Chogha Zanbil — an Elamite ziggurat of the thirteenth century BC, 40 km away, a UNESCO site and one of the few surviving ziggurats outside Mesopotamia.

Food and money

The cooking is Khuzestani, with Arab influence: falafel, fish from the local rivers, dates. The climate is hot and the food is spicier than in central Iran. Cash is essential — foreign cards do not work in the country.

Getting there

The nearest airport is at Dezful, about 35 km away, then Ahvaz. The Ahvaz-Andimeshk railway runs through the region. Shush is conveniently seen together with Chogha Zanbil by car in a single day.

When to come

Khuzestan is one of the hottest places in Iran, above fifty degrees in summer. Come only in the cool season, from November to March; in summer walking around an open excavation is unbearable.