A CITADEL, fortified complex — not a palace in the sense of a residence but the walled acropolis that housed the government. 'Shushan ha-birah,' Susa the citadel, is where Nehemiah is when he hears about Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:1) and where the whole of Esther takes place. The distinction matters: these Judeans are not near the court, they are INSIDE the compound. → first discussed at Esther 1:2