"By the grace of Ahura Mazda, I constructed the magnificent palace of Susa", thus spake Darius the Great in 521 BC following the construction of the Apadana Palace, his administrative capital at Susa.
Organizations are gearing up for registration of Susa, also called Shoosh, on the World Heritage list. Meetings are going on, Islamic Consultative Assembly News Agency reported, quoting Majlis deputy of Shoosh Seyyed Razi Nori.
A UNESCO delegation is going to visit Susa within the next two weeks. Two historical sites can be registered in a country per year. The Burnt City was registered and Susa is on the current year's waiting list, he added.
The Cultural Heritage Organization has banned constructions in Susa. The historical site located in Khuzestan Province is the oldest city in Iran and one of the world's oldest human settlements, the main religious city of pre-historic Elam Civilization and Achaemenid winter capital.
Archaeological tomography proofs 15 historical civilizations. Each layer indicates a historical era or more. The Layers 15 to 9 belong to Elamite eras; Layer 8 to Achaemenid; 7 to Seleucid; 6 and 5 to Parthian; Layer 4 to Sassanid Era, and Layers 3, 2 and 1 to Islamic periods.
The Acropolis, the highest part of the hills with Susa Castle on top, has 27 layers. The most ancient civilization discovered here belongs to the end of 5th millennium B.C.
In 2008, a project commissioned by Archaeology Institute defined the area of Susa site to be 1,200 hectares. However, the publicly known ancient precinct covers 400 hectares, a third of the actual area. The remaining 800 hectares are buried under the modern urban districts.
Iran has to restore the site and meet international standards before the UNESCO delegation arrives. Delimitation of Susa site is one of the required conditions.
