Al-Mada'in (Arabic: المدائن, al-Madāʾin, lit. 'The Cities'; Aramaic: Māḥozē or Medinātā) was an ancient metropolis situated on the Tigris River in modern-day Iraq. It was located between the ancient royal centers of Ctesiphon and Seleucia, and was founded by the Sassanid Empire. The city's name was used by Arabs as a synonym for the Sassanid capital of Ctesiphon, in a tradition that continued after the Arab conquest of Iran.