Susa

WorldCulturalHeritage

BasicInformation

NameofHeritage:Susa

Selectiontime:2015

Selectionbasis:culturalheritage(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)

Location:N321122E481522

Theareaof​​theheritage:350ha

Theareaof​​thebufferzone:600ha

Theheritagenumber:1455

Heritagedescription

SusaislocatedinKhuzestanProvinceinsouthwesternIran,240kilometerseastoftheTigrisRiver.ItisanancientcityinIranformorethan8,000years.history.ThecityofSusawasanimportantcapitaloftheancientElanKingdom,thePersianEmpire,andtheParthianEmpire.

TheSusasitesincludedintheheritagerangeincludeIranianbronzeandstonesitesfromtheageoftheearlyIronAge.ItislocatedinthesouthoftheZagrosMountains,southwestofDizfur,atributaryoftheKarenRiver,alongtheDizfurRiver.Itisabout20kilometersawayfromDidzfur.Thesitecoversanareaof​​about3.5squarekilometers,includinganarchaeologicalhillontheeastbankoftheDidzfurRiverandthepalaceofKingDariusontheothersideoftheriver.Theunearthedarchitecturalremainsincludeadministrativeinstitutions,residences,palacesandotherstructures.Inadditiontobeinganimportantsiteformodernarchaeology,thisplaceisalsofamousfortheShiaMuslimandJewishprophetDaniel.

Accordingtotheculturalheritageselectioncriteria(i)(ii)(iii)(iv),SusawasapprovedbytheUNESCOWorldHeritageCommitteetobeincludedinthe"WorldHeritageList"asaculturalheritage.

Criteriaforselection(iv):Susaisanoutstandingandraretypeofurbansettlement,representingtheprimitiveElandiansandThebeginningofurbandevelopmentduringtheElamiteperiod.Inaddition,startingfromthe6thcenturyBC,Susa,astheadministrativecapitaloftheAchaemenidEmpire,contributedtothecreationofnewprototypesofceremonialarchitectureandbecameafeatureoftheIranianplateauanditsadjacentlands.

EvaluationbytheWorldHeritageCommittee

ThissiteislocatedinthesouthernpartoftheZagrosMountainsinsouthwesternIran,includinganarchaeologicalhillontheeastbankoftheDidzfurRiverandKingDariusontheothersideoftheriverPalaces,theunearthedarchitecturalrelicsincludeadministrativeinstitutions,residences,palacesandotherbuildingstructures.TheSusasiteincludesseveralsuperimposedurbanrelicsfromthelatefifthcenturyBCtothe13thcenturyAD.ThissiteisaspecialtestimonytotheculturaltraditionsoftheElamites,PersiansandParthiansthathavemostlydisappeared.

Basicintroduction

ThecityofSusahasahistoryofmorethan8,000years,morethan5,000yearsbeforethefoundingoftheIranians.ItwasonceanimportantcapitalofElam,Persia,andParthia.Herodotus,thefatherofhistory,oncerecordedsuchasentence:"WhoeverpossessesSusa'swealthcanfightagainstZeus."

Susa(6)Zhang)

TheancientcityofElland.InthesouthwestofDizfuralongtheDizRiver,atributaryoftheKarenRiverinsouthwesternIran.ThecapitalofthePersianEmpireundertheruleofDarius(521-485BC).Therearecompletepostroads,fromthewesttoMesopotamiatotheAegeancoastofAsiaMinor.Thisempire'slargesttrunklineiscalledthe"RoyalRoad".Thereisafamouspalacebuiltinthecity.Sincethemiddleofthenineteenthcentury,archaeologistshaveunearthedalargenumberofrelicsfromtheKingdomofElandinthethirdmillenniumBCandthePersianEmpirefromthesixthtothefourthcenturyBC.SumyisacityinnortheasternUkraineandthecapitaloftheSumyregion.OnthePushorRiver,atributaryofthemiddlereachesoftheDnieperRiver.Thepopulationis256,000(1985).Builtin1652.Therailwayisgoingtostop.Theindustryisdominatedbychemicalequipment,electronmicroscopesandtelescopes,motormanufacturing,chemistry(phosphatefertilizers,pesticides),andfoodprocessing.Thereisamuseumofhistoryandart.Thereareagriculturalexperimentstationsinthesuburbs.

ThecourtofSusaduringtheElamperiodwasintheacropolisinthenorthwestofthecity.Theacropoliswasbuiltonartificiallybuiltmounds.ItisbackedbythebankoftheKarlheRiver,33metershigherthantheriverbankand6metershigherthantherestofthecity.Itisaveryfortifiedcity.However,suchastrongacropolisfailedtowithstandthefierceAssyrianattacks,andthepalacewasdestroyedbytheAssyriansmanytimes.

BeforetheestablishmentoftheancientPersianEmpire,SusahadbecomethecapitalofPersia.IntheperiodofCyrustheGreat,Susawasoneofthefourcapitalsoftheempireandbegantobuildpalacesinthecity.ThisisbecausetheElamitesarethemosteducatedpeopleinIran,andthePersiansneedElamitetalentstohelpthemmanagethecountry.Atthattime,theadministrativeofficialsofthegovernment,especiallytheeconomicmanagersoftheroyalfamily,werealmostallElamites.TheElamitecuneiformwasusedasanofficialscriptforhundredsofyearsbeforeitwasgraduallyreplacedbytheAramaicscript.

PalaceArchitecture

Susa’spalacearchitecturewasinfullswingduringthetimeofDariustheGreat.InhisedicttobuildthepalaceofSusa,thematerialsmentionedinthepalaceconstructioncamefromfifteenregions,fromremoteCentralAsiaandIndiatoEgyptandGreece.Thecraftsmenwhoparticipatedinthepalaceconstructionincludedatleastfiveethnicgroups.Therearetwelvetypesofconstructionmaterialsspecificallymentioned,onlycrushedstoneandbricksareprobablymadeon-site.ItcanbesaidthatDariusIusedalmostallthemanpower,materialandfinancialresourcesoftheempireatthattimeinordertobuildthepalaceofSusa.

ThemainarchitecturalworkoftheSusacourtwasdonebytheBabylonians,becausetheyhavericharchitecturalexperienceandaregoodatmajesticandplatform-basedarchitecture.ThecourtofDariusIwasbuiltonahugeartificialplatformwithanareaof​​about37,500squaremeters,including110rooms,corridorsandhalls,coveringanareaof​​about20,000squaremeters.ThereisnowaytoknowthefullpictureofSusa'scourt.ModernarchaeologicalexcavationshaveprovedthatitisfarmoremajesticthantheedictofDariusIsaid.ThereceptionhallofDariusIalonehasanareaof​​10,000squaremeters.Theroofofthemainhallissupportedbysixcolumnsof20-meter-highcolonnades.Thetopofthecolonnadesisdecoratedwithbullheads.Accordingtotheedictfound,thishallwasbuiltusing22areasofmanpowerandmaterialresources.

OnthepalacewallofSusa’scourt,thereareexquisiteglazedbrickbas-reliefs.Thecontentsaremostlyroyalguards,variousanimalsandmagicalmonsters.Thiskindofglazedbrickbas-reliefisinancientChineseclassics.Therecordedwallglazewasoneofthemostadvanceddecorativeartatthetime.

Afteralarge-scaleexpansion,theSusaPalacehasalwaysbeenthepalaceoftheancientPersianEmpire.ThekingspentmostofhistimeinSusa.Governmentagenciesarealsoconcentratedhere.ThetaxesofthePersianEmpireprobablyalsowenttoSusa'streasury.Therefore,intheeyesoftheGreeks,Susamustbetherichestcityintheworld,soHerodotusrecordedthissentence:"WhoeverpossessesthewealthofSusacanfightagainstZeus."

However,thisisthedescriptionthatappearsinliteraryworks.Exaggerationisinevitable.Moreover,mostWesternersinthateraliketoportraytheEastasaparadiseforadults,asifthereisgoldeverywhere,andwealthisinfinite.Infact,Susaatthetimewasdefinitelynottherichestcityintheworld.

AfterthedemiseofthePersianEmpire,SusaremainedoneofthemostimportantcitiesinIranforalongtime,andgainedcityautonomy.DuringtheperiodofSusa,theresidentsofSusarevoltedagainsttheruleofSusa,andthekingofSusaorderedcompletedestruction.Susa'spalaceandresidentialhouseswereturnedintorubbleandburiedundertheloess.ThisonceprosperousandprosperouscitywasnotdiscoveredbyWesternarchaeologistsuntilmoderntimes.

Historyoftheancientcity

Susawrote“Shushan”intheBible,“Σέλεύχεια,Selekha”inGreek,and“Seleciaad”inLatinEulaeum,SeleukiaofElam",moderntimesasShush.Susaislocated150mileseastoftheTigrisRiver.ItwasanimportantcapitaloftheancientkingdomofElam,Persia,andParthia.Inadditiontobeinganimportantsiteformodernarchaeology,thisplaceisalsofamousfortheShiaMuslimandJewishprophetDaniel.

Susaisanancientcity.In7000BC,thereweresignsofhumansgatheringinthearea,andthecitymaybebuiltin4000BC.Theculturaldatingofpaintedpotteryunearthedcanbetracedbackto5000BC.Historically,SusawasthecapitaloftheKingdomofElam(Chinesetranslationor"Elam").Itsnamemaybederivedfromthelocallanguageandwrittenindifferentways(Šušan,Šušun).SusawasinvadedbytheNewBabylonianKingdomandlaterviolentlyplunderedbytheAssyrianEmpire.

SusaismentionedintheHebrewBible'sBookofWisdom(Ketuvim),andmostofitappearsinthebookofEsther,butalsointhebookofNehemiahandDaniel.Thedescriptionappears.DuringtheBabyloniancaptivityinthesixthcenturyAD,DanielandNehemiahwerebothprophetslivinginSusa.Estherbecamequeen,shesavedtheJewsfromthefateofslaughter.AnasymmetricalwhiteconestoneisconsideredtobeDaniel'stombstone.

Susa(6photos)

In538BC,CyrustheGreatofPersiaoftheAchaemeniddynastyseizedthecity.CambysesII,thesonofCyrus,movedthecapitaloftheempiretoSusa.In331BC,AlexandertheGreatconqueredPersia,buthissuddendeathsplittheempire,andSusabecameoneofthetwocapitalsoftheSeleuciaKingdomwithequalfameasTaisifeng.Later,Parthiaroseup,andParthianrulersusedtoregardTaixifengasthesummercapitalandSusaasthewinterpalace.TheRomanEmperorTrajancapturedSusafromParthianPersiain116AD,buthewasforcedtowithdrawhistroopsduetorebellionintherear.UntiltheSassanidPersianperiodafterthethirdcentury,Susawasstillaprosperouscity.

Susawasdestroyedatleasttwiceinhistory.In647BC,theAssyriankingAssurbanipalrazedthecityafterthewar;itwasnotuntilDariusIoftheAchaemeniddynastysettledherethatSusawasrevived.In1218AD,theinvadingMongolarmydestroyedthecity.Sincethen,thisancientcityhasgraduallyshrunk.