Darreh Shahr Ancient City Darreh Shahr Ancient City Darreh Shahr Ancient City is the name of a ruined area next to the existing city of Darreh Shahr in southwest Iran, in Ilam Province. The ruins belong to an ancient city of the late Sassanid era (224 – 651 AD) and is believed to be built on remnants of the Elamite capital, Madakto. Historic texts and also recent findings reveal the fact that the city included about 5,000 houses with some modern aspects like an ego system. The city was destroyed and deserted after a huge earthquake around 950 AD. In ancient times, Elamites governed
Medes knew of or reached during their expansion until the beginning of the 7th century BC. In Achaemenid sources, specifically from the Behistun Inscription (2.76, 77–78), the capital of Media is Ecbatana, called "Hamgmatāna-" in Old Persian (Elamite:"Agmadana-"; Babylonian: "Agamtanu-") corresponding to modern-day Hamadan. The other cities existing in Media were Laodicea (modern Nahavand) and the mound that was the largest city of the Medes, Rhages (present-day Rey). The fourth city of Media was Apamea, near Ecbatana, whose precise location is now unknown. In later periods, Medes and especially Mede soldiers are identified and portrayed prominently in ancient archaeological sites such