Susa (/ˈsuːsə/; Persian:شوش‎‎ Shush; [ʃuʃ]; Hebrew שׁוּשָׁן Shushān; Greek: Σοῦσα [ˈsuːsa]; Syriac:ܫܘܫ‎ Shush; Old Persian Çūšā) was an ancient city of the Proto-Elamite, Elamite, First Persian Empire, Seleucid, and Parthian empires of Iran, and one of the most important cities of the Ancient Near East. It is located in the lower Zagros Mountains about 250 km (160 mi) east of the Tigris River, between the Karkheh and Dez Rivers.