Western Iran - Iran - page 283

first to survey the site. His work was continued by the French Archaeological Service
from 1891 more or less continuously until the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Sights

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE

Ancient Shush
(admission US$1; 8am-7pm, closes after heavy rain) Entered from YaZahra Sq on
Khomeini Blvd, the archaeological site occupies the whole southern flank of modern
Shush. To the right as you enter, the landscape is entirely dominated by the, sadly closed
to the public, Chateau de Morgan . On the site of an Elamite acropolis, this crenellated
masterpiece looks like an Omani desert fortress but was in fact built by the French Ar-
chaeological Service between 1897 and 1912 to defend researchers from raids by local
Arab and Lurish tribesmen. Notice a cuneiform-inscribed brick incorporated into the
castle's west doorway.
Turning left at the top of the site's main entry ramp, you can walk through the site of
the 521 BC Palace of Darius . The site is now just a muddy rise on which a 30cm-high
labyrinth of brick-and-wattle wall fragments marks the former room layout. At the north-
ern rim are the massive stone bases of what was once an apadana , of six by six 22m-high
columns topped with animal figures. A couple of double-horse capitals are partly pre-
served on the paved terrace.
To the east, beyond the partly paved Royal Gate , the Royal City is a misleading name
for barren, lonely undulations stretching to the far horizon. It's more sensible to loop back
towards the castle amid muddy gullies, pottery shards and thorn thickets alive with darting
desert foxes. At the western side of the castle there's an earthen watchtower above ancient
caves and niches.

Shush Museum
(Susa Park, Khomeini St; admission US$1; 7.30am-1pm & 3.30-7pm Tue-Sun) Some
tourists visit this bright new museum quite by mistake, thinking that they've actually
entered the archaeological site (whose access track is right beside it). The museum's five
rooms display ancient stone- and pottery-work from archaeological sites in the region.
Highlights include a giant bull-head capital from Shush's apadana , a lion-hugging Her-
cules statue from Masjid-i Soleiman and some spooky clay masks from Haft Tappeh.

MUSEUM

Tomb of Daniel

IMAMZADEH