The Kingdom of Persia – The Book of Esther
וַיְהִי בִּימֵי אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הוּא אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ הַמֹּלֵךְ מֵהֹדּוּ וְעַד־כּוּשׁ שֶׁבַע וְעֶשְׂרִים וּמֵאָה מְדִינָה׃ It happened in the days of Ahasuerus—that Ahasuerus who reigned over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces from India to Ethiopia. בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם כְּשֶׁבֶת הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ עַל כִּסֵּא מַלְכוּתוֹ אֲשֶׁר בְּשׁוּשַׁן הַבִּירָה׃ In those days, when King Ahasuerus occupied the royal throne in the fortress Shushan,
[dt_sc_full_width first]
This map highlights Achashveirosh’s vast empire as described in the Book of Esther 1:1-2.
1-2. Achashveirosh, king of Persia, ruled a vast empire from India (1) to Ethiopia (2) (Esther 1:1).
3. Shushan, located in modern-day Iran, was the capitol of the Persian empire (Esther 1:2). It is where the events of the Book of Esther took place. It was also where Nechemiah lived before going to the Land of Israel (Nehemiah 1:1), and is mentioned in the Book of Daniel (Daniel 8:2).
4. The Land of Israel was part of Achashveirosh’s kingdom.
[/dt_sc_full_width]