Shūsh

Shush, the ancient Susa, lies on the plain between the Karkheh and Dez rivers. For thousands of years it was a meeting place of Mesopotamian and Iranian civilizations, serving as a capital of Elam and later of the Achaemenid kings. Palaces and sacred precincts rose above the plain on great artificial mounds. The city continued to be inhabited after the Islamic conquest, though its built-up area eventually contracted and much of the ancient city became ruins. A shrine associated with the prophet Daniel stood beside the Shavur River and remained a focus of devotion. Travellers in the early nineteenth century encountered the shrine among the remnants of Susa's long history.