Shush

Covering about 350 hectares, Susa constitutes one of the world's largest archaeological sites. It was formed on the bank of Sha'ur river since the 4th millennium BC and has been uninterruptedly inhabited until the 8th century A.H. Along this period, it was the capital of the Elamites and subsequently the Achaemenians for some 2.800 years. Since about 150 years ago, first the French Archeological Mission and then Iranians archaeological teams have carried out excavations here, retrieving artifacts, buildings and objects from various periods, and, most importantly, knowledge about Elamite history and culture.