Al-Mada'in
Coordinates: 33°06′N 44°35′E / 33.1°N 44.583°E
Al-Mada'in ("The Cities") (Arabic المدائن Al-Mada'in, Aramaic Maḥuza or Madayn) is the name given to the ancient metropolis formed by Seleucia and Ctesiphon (also referred to as Seleucia-Ctesiphon) on opposite sides of the Tigris River in present-day Iraq.
The site has received considerable interest from archaeologists since the 18th century; the most famous landmark there is the Taq-i Kisra. Madain was the capital of the Persian Empire under the Sassanid dynasty. When the Persian empire was defeated by the Muslim Forces. The city was destroyed. The Arabs did however build a new city about 20 miles to the north as the capital for the new Islamic empire, they called that city Baghdad.
Excavation sites and ancient suburbs include:
- Seleucia
- Ctesiphon (previously thought to have been Opis, whose exact location is not confirmed)
- Coche (Also Choche)
- Asbanbar (Also written Isbanir, Asbanabr, Aspanbar, Asfanur)
- Veh Ardashir (Also Bahurasir)
- Vologesocerta (Balashkert), founded by Vologases I of Parthia
- al-Ma’aridh
- Tell al-Dhaba’I
- Tell Dhahab
- Umm an Sa’atir
The site partially overlaps with the modern town of Salman Pak.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Ctesiphon site description
- The Shahr (province) of Asuristan (extract from the Encyclopedia of Iran)
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