Shush is a city in the Central District of Shush County, Khuzestan Province, Iran. In the early days of the Iran– Iraq War, it became half‑ruined and uninhabited due to repeated enemy attacks. With Operation Fath al‑Mubin in March 1982, the city was finally freed from Iraqi artillery fire and out of the enemy’ s direct line of sight.

Shush County lies in the northwest of Khuzestan Province, bordered by Andimeshk to the north, Dezful to the east, Dehloran to the northwest, Shushtar to the southeast, and Dasht‑e Azadegan to the west and southwest. It is one of the world’ s oldest centers of civilization, with remains dating back to prehistoric times. Today, most of the residents of the city of Shush are Twelver Shia Muslims who speak Persian and Arabic.⁠[1] According to the 2016 census, the population of Shush County was 205,720.⁠[2]

The city has a long and turbulent history. Shush was the winter capital of great empires. It likely became a city in the mid‑fourth millennium BC, rising from a village to become the capital of Elam, one of the four major civilizations of its time. When Elam was conquered by the Assyrians, Shush was almost destroyed. Under the Achaemenids, it regained its former glory, only to be plundered and ruined again when the dynasty fell. In 638 AD, Shush was captured by Muslims and remained a populous, prosperous city and a center of agriculture and trade in Khuzestan until the Mongol invasion. In 1890, a French team of 120, led by the archaeologist Jean-Jacques de Morgan, came to excavate Shush. They built a fortress resembling the Bastille in France to live in and store artifacts, but later de Morgan sent his findings to the Louvre in Paris.⁠[3] When Khuzestan’ s capital was moved to Ahvaz, Shush gradually lost importance, but with the construction of the national railway, its economy revived. Its historical significance and the shrine of the Prophet Daniel (pbuh) also attracted visitors, and with population growth, Shush gained municipality status in 1956.⁠[4] Until 1989, Shush was part of Dezful County, but in August that year it became independent.⁠[5]

On September 22, 1980, Iraq attacked Shush on the very first day of the war. The city was strategically important because the Andimeshk– Ahvaz railway and highway passed nearby, and cutting them would affect the warfronts in Ahvaz and Dezful. Iraq’ s 1st Mechanized Division advanced to positions seven kilometers west of Shush and repeatedly shelled the city. Buildings were damaged, residents fled under harsh conditions, and the city emptied. In the meantime, Iranian forces from across the country arrived in Shush to engage the enemy. Known then as the “ City of Unidentified Martyrs”, Shush became a hub for organizing troops and volunteer forces. Then, defensive structures like trenches and berms were built, and one of the key fronts formed along the Shush– Karkheh Road, with forces deployed along the Shush– Fakkeh highway (Ankoosh, Zaan, and Shalibieh fronts) and in other areas such as Saleh Moshatat and Jisr Shoja across the Karkheh.⁠[6]

In the early days of the Iran-Iraq War, Majid Baqaei, commander of the Shush Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), created a strong organization on the Shush front, gathering intelligence on Iraqi troops and planning several operations. The most important of them was Operation Imam Mahdi (as), carried out on April 14, 1981, on the Shush front under Baqaei’ s command. Lasting five days, it forced Iraqi troops to retreat from the Karkheh River, allowing Iranians to build a bridge that later played a key role in Operation Fath al‑Mubin and in liberating the occupied areas on the Shush front.⁠[7]

Operation Fath al-Mubin aimed to take the cities of Dezful, Andimeshk, and Shush out of Iraqi artillery range, to completely liberate Shush from Iraqi army control, and to clear sites 4 and 5. The IRGC and Iranian Army commanders decided the operation should begin simultaneously from four axes: Ein‑Khosh, Naderi Bridge, Shush, and Reqabyyah. Accordingly, four headquarters— Quds, Nasr, Fath, and Fajr— were formed. Majid Baqaei, Morteza Saffari, and Hamzeh Karbalaei led Fajr Headquarters, which was based in the basement of the Shush IRGC building.⁠[8]

In March 1982, Iraq, aware of Iranian preparations to launch an operation in the Shush front, deployed ten independent brigades and several Popular Army units in the area and laid mines.⁠[9]

At 12:30 AM on March 22, 1982, Operation Fath al‑Mubin began with the code “ In the Name of God, the Destroyer of the Arrogant, Ya Zahra (sa) ”. Baqaei commanded the Fajr Headquarters. One feature of this operation was the closeness of Iranian and Iraqi lines in the Fajr sector such that after crossing minefields and obstacles, Iranian units would reach the Iraqi positions in just twenty minutes. Other sectors required longer marches. The first three days were difficult, but by March 24, the situation was under control. On March 27, Iraq’ s 1st Mechanized and 10th Armored divisions were destroyed, and Iranian forces captured Ein‑Khosh, Tineh, Abu Gharib, as well as Barqazeh and Reqabyyah passes. Also, after a week, Shush was finally out of Iraqi artillery range.⁠[10]

After Operation Fath al‑Mubin, the area was cleared and rebuilt, and residents returned. During the Iran-Iraq War, Shush became a favorite city for fighters, serving as a rear base. They would go to the city to visit the shrine of Prophet Daniel (pbuh), explore the ancient ruins, take a bath, shop, and relax.

After the war, authorities focused on rebuilding Shush. At the same time, they also worked to preserve some of the war’ s memorials and relics alongside the reconstruction of ruined sites. The Operation Fath al‑Mubin Martyrs Memorial was built eight kilometers northwest of Shush, west of the Karkheh River. This location was chosen due to the martyrdom of several Fajr Headquarters fighters a few days before Operation Fath al-Mubin, as they attempted to break through from nine canals into Iraqi trenches. Some of these canals were rebuilt as reminders of the battle and the courage of Iranian forces. On January 9, 2003, eight unidentified martyrs were buried at the site.⁠[11] In total, 490 residents of Shush were martyred during the Iran-Iraq War.