The ancient city of Susa is in Iran. Its ruins lie near modern Shush in Khuzestan Province, southwestern Iran.
Susa was occupied for thousands of years and became one of the most important urban centers of ancient southwestern Iran. It was a major city of Elam, an ancient civilization whose political centers lay largely in the region later known as Khuzestan.
Under the Achaemenid Persian Empire, Susa served as one of the empire’s principal capitals alongside Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Babylon. The palace complex at Susa was especially associated with Darius I and later Achaemenid rulers.
Susa is sometimes confused with Persepolis because both were royal centers of Achaemenid Persia. Persepolis lies in Fars Province, while Susa is much farther west, near the foothills and plains of Khuzestan.