What city served as the capital of the ancient Median Empire?

Ecbatana was the capital of the ancient Median Empire.

The city, called Hagmatana in Old Persian and commonly identified with modern Hamadan in Iran, stood in the western Iranian highlands. Its elevated position helped make it a strategic center for the Median kingdom before the rise of the Achaemenids.

After Cyrus the Great incorporated Media into his empire in the sixth century BCE, Ecbatana remained an important royal residence. Achaemenid rulers used it alongside other major centers such as Susa, Babylon, and Persepolis.

Ancient descriptions of Ecbatana’s seven concentric walls are difficult to verify archaeologically, and the exact layout remains debated. It should not be confused with Pasargadae, which Cyrus established as an Achaemenid royal center.