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 Archaeological 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 northern 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 preserved 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.
