WorldCulturalHeritage
Basic notitia
NameofHeritage:Susa
Tempo di selezione: 2015
Base di selezione:patrimonio culturale(i)(ii)(iii)(iv)
Posizione: N321122E481522
Theareaoftheheritage:350ha
Theareaofthebufferzone:600ha
Il numero di eredità: 1455
Heritagedescription
SusaislocatedinKhuzestanProvinceinsouthwesternIran,240kilometerseastoftheTigrisRiver.ItisanancientcityinIranformorethan8,000years.history.ThecityofSusawasanimportantcapitaloftheancientElanKingdom,thePersianEmpire,andtheParthianEmpire.
TheSusasitesincludedintheheritagerangeincludeIranianbronzeandstonesitesfromtheageoftheearlyIronAge.ItislocatedinthesouthoftheZagrosMountains,southwestofDizfur,atributaryoftheKarenRiver,alongtheDizfurRiver.Itisabout20kilometersawayfromDidzfur.Thesitecoversanareaofabout3.5squarekilometers,includinganarchaeologicalhillontheeastbankoftheDidzfurRiverandthepalaceofKingDariusontheothersideoftheriver.Theunearthedarchitecturalremainsincludeadministrativeinstitutions,residences,palacesandotherstructures.Inadditiontobeinganimportantsiteformodernarchaeology,thisplaceisalsofamousfortheShiaMuslimandJewishprophetDaniel.
Secundum culturalheritageselectioncriteria(i)(ii)(iii)(iv), Susawas approbavit by the UNESCOWorldHeritageCommitteetobeincludedin the "WorldHeritageList" asaculturalheritage.
Criteriaforselection(iv):Susaisanoutstandingandraretypeofurbansettlement,representingtheprimitiveElandiansandThebeginningofurbandevelopmentduringtheElamiteperiod.Inaddition,startingfromthe6thcenturyBC,Susa,astheadministrativecapitaloftheAchaemenidEmpire,contributedtothecreationofnewprototypesofceremonialarchitectureandbecameafeatureoftheIranianplateauanditsadjacentlands.
EvaluationbytheWorldHeritageCommittee
ThissiteislocatedinthesouthernpartoftheZagrosMountainsinsouthwesternIran,includinganarchaeologicalhillontheeastbankoftheDidzfurRiverandKingDariusontheothersideoftheriverPalaces,theunearthedarchitecturalrelicsincludeadministrativeinstitutions,residences,palacesandotherbuildingstructures.TheSusasiteincludesseveralsuperimposedurbanrelicsfromthelatefifthcenturyBCtothe13thcenturyAD.ThissiteisaspecialtestimonytotheculturaltraditionsoftheElamites,PersiansandParthiansthathavemostlydisappeared.
Basicintroduction
Urbs Susahasahis historia plusquam VIII, annorum, plus quam V, 000 annorum ante inventam Iran.
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.ThecourtofDariusIwasbuiltonahugeartificialplatformwithanareaofabout37,500squaremeters,including110rooms,corridorsandhalls,coveringanareaofabout20,000squaremeters.ThereisnowaytoknowthefullpictureofSusa'scourt.ModernarchaeologicalexcavationshaveprovedthatitisfarmoremajesticthantheedictofDariusIsaid.ThereceptionhallofDariusIalonehasanareaof10,000squaremeters.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.