Cities & towns · Persia (Elam)
Susa
What was Susa?
Susa was the Persian winter capital where Esther became queen and Nehemiah served the king.
TodayShush, in southwestern Iran
EmpirePersia
Books set hereEsther; Nehemiah 1–2; Daniel 8
One of the great capitals of the Persian empire, Susa’s citadel is the setting of the book of Esther — the banquets, the plot of Haman, and the deliverance celebrated at Purim.
In Susa Nehemiah, cupbearer to Artaxerxes, heard of Jerusalem’s broken walls, wept, prayed, and asked leave to rebuild.
Daniel, in vision, also stood “in the citadel of Susa” — the city stitched through the exile’s later story.
Key verses BSB · Public Domain (CC0)
Esther 1:2 “In those days King Xerxes sat on his royal throne in the citadel of Susa.” Nehemiah 1:1 “These are the words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: In the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa,” Daniel 8:2 “And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.”
Related places
Original BibleDawn profile. Drafted with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy. Scripture quoted from the public-domain Berean Standard Bible.