Apadana Palace of Susa
Many people in the world believe that Persepolis was the main capital of Achaemenid (550 BC-330 BC). But contrary to the misconception of the general public, the city of Susa in Khuzestan province holds the title of administrative-political capital of Achaemenid.
A city with an age of 7 thousand years, which is known as one of the oldest human settlements. Due to its great civilizational history, Darius the Great chose Susa as the main seat of the Achaemenid government and began extensive construction in it, the heart of which is the Apadana Palace of Susa. In this article, we intend to introduce you to a part of the glory of the ancient centuries of Iran and the world.
The importance of Susa:
Thousands of years before the Achaemenids came to power and even the migration of Aryans to Iran, Susa was considered the most prosperous city in Mesopotamia and the western part of the Iranian plateau. In addition, the government of Elam had chosen Susa as its first and most important capital, which is shown by the structures left over from the Elamite period. For this reason, as well as the proximity of Susa to Mesopotamia and the Persian Gulf, the Achaemenids also chose Susa, and Darius the Great converted the remaining buildings of the Elam government into palaces and government offices of his own government.
What does Apadana mean?
Various palaces in Iran are called Apadana. So there must be the same special feature in all of them. Carefully in the Elamite and Sumerian sources, we find that Apadana was the name of the pillared halls. Considering the large number of columns in the Susa Palace, the choice of the name Apadana is also confirmed.
All about the Apadana Palace of Susa:
khuThis palace is a structure with an area of more than one hectare, which was built on the old palace of Elamian. Apadana was built by the order of Darius the Great and before the construction of Apadana Palace in Persepolis (521 BC). Unfortunately, due to the attack of Alexander the Great, this palace was destroyed and in the early 20th century, during the excavations of the French archeology team, its remains were taken to the Louvre Museum. but this is not the whole story; The French team broke the heavy carved stones that they could not carry into pieces, and today only the lower parts of the column and some stones remain. During the excavation of archaeologists, the famous inscription of Apadana Palace was discovered. This inscription refers to the reign of Dariush and there is an inscription engraved on it, quoting him, which describes the construction of this building. According to the writing on the inscription, it seems that this palace suffered a fire in the years after the death of Darius and during the reign of Artaxerxes I, and after that, it was rebuilt by Artaxerxes II. Next to this palace, the French castle who explored the palace is still standing. Darius the Great spent most of his time in this palace and the court of the Achaemenid kings was located there. The walls are made of clay, the pillars are made of stone, and the roof is made of cedar wood. Until today, about 120 rooms and halls have been discovered, which shows the greatness of the bureaucracy of this dynasty. The whole complex has 6 courtyards, 3 of which are large and 3 are small. The entire interior space is decorated with colored glazed bricks with patterns similar to the sculptures of Persepolis, and these colored tiles have maintained their high quality in museums around the world.
Achaemenids were the largest and most powerful empire in the ancient world. A part of this greatness can be seen in the Apadana Palace of Susa!!!
Tags: Khuzestan Province, khuzestan attractions, khuzestan Attractions , attractions of khuzestan province, Palaces in Iran
