Ecbatana

Ecbatana (literally "the place of gathering", Aramaic: אַחְמְתָא‎, Ancient Greek: Ἀγβάτανα or Ἐκβάτανα) was an ancient city in Media in western Iran. According to Herodotus, Ecbatana was chosen as the Medes' capital in the late 8th century BC by Deioces. Under the Achaemenid Persian kings, Ecbatana, situated at the foot of Mount Alvand, became a summer residence. Later, it became the capital of the Parthian kings. The wealth and importance of the city in the Persian empire is attributed to its location on a crucial crossroads that made it a staging post on the main East-West highway.

Archaeological excavation at Ecbatana began in 1913.

Ecbatana in "Counting Potsherds"
The eunuch Mithredath often followed his master to the summer capital at Ekbatana, but never experienced a winter there.