Achmetha

Achmetha (Ecbatana in Greek and classical sources) was the capital of ancient Media, situated on the site of the modern Iranian city of Hamadan. It served as the summer residence of the Persian kings and earlier of the Median monarchs, and of Cyrus and Cambyses. Ezra 6:2 records that a royal memorandum confirming Cyrus's original decree permitting the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple was found there in the royal archives. Achmetha's elevation (about 6,000 feet) and cool climate made it a preferred retreat from the heat of Persepolis and Susa.