Susa

Susa ( SOO-sə) was an ancient city in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers in Iran. It represents the current city of Shush, located on the site of ancient Susa. One of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East, Susa served as the capital of Elam and the winter capital of the Achaemenid Empire, and remained a strategic centre during the Parthian and Sasanian periods.

The name Susa is of Elamite origin and has appeared in many languages:

Middle Elamite: 𒀸𒋗𒊺𒂗, romanized: Šušen Middle and Neo-Elamite: 𒋢𒋢𒌦, romanized: Šušun Neo-Elamite and Achaemenid Elamite: 𒀸𒋗𒐼𒀭, romanized: Šušan Achaemenid Elamite: 𒀸𒋗𒐼, romanized: Šuša Hebrew: שׁוּשָׁן Šūšān (Shushan) Ancient Greek: Σοῦσα Soûsa Old Persian: 𐏂𐎢𐏁𐎠 Çūšā Middle Persian: 𐭮𐭥𐭱𐭩 Sūš or 𐭱𐭥𐭮 Šūs New Persian: شوش Šuš [ʃuʃ] Syriac: ܫܘܫ Šuš

Susa was one of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East. In historic literature, Susa appears in the very earliest Sumerian records: for example, it is described as one of the places obedient to Inanna, patron deity of Uruk, in Enmerkar and the Lord of Aratta.