The province of Khuzestan in south-western Iran is the cradle of much of Iran’s ancient civilization, including the pre-historic Elamite period. With the notable exception of the impressive ziggurat at Chogha Zanbil, built around 1250 B.C by the Elamite king, Untash-Gal, the sites should be considered to be of a more specialist nature and require imagination to appreciate. Chogha Zanbil is arguably the finest surviving ziggurat in the world and was for a long time the largest man-made structure in Iran. It once rose to 174 feet high over 5 platforms. Now, following the ravages of time and the destruction wrought by the Assyrian king Assurbanipal in 640 B.C, just over 2 ½ levels of the great ziggurat are extant. To the north, Susa is the site of one of the oldest civilizations in the Middle East, dating back to 5,000 B.C. At the height of its importance in Achaemenian times Susa claimed to be the capital of the world. A broken bull capital is one of the few surface remains at Susa recalling the magnificence recorded in the foundation tablets of Darius the Great which were recovered from the Apadana mound. Other artefacts, clay inscriptions and pottery found at Susa are on display at the local museum. Further to the east is the town of Shushtar, a place founded in Sassanian times and location of one of the few surviving bridges, dams and canals that were constructed by Roman prisoners of war in the 3rd century A.D. Between Chogha Zanbil and the regional capital of Ahwaz is the site of Haft Tappeh, where what is believed to be the oldest Elamite temple discovered in Iran has been excavated. The sites of Khuzestan can be visited on a day excursion or seen on a long drive from Kermanshah.