Media was a region of the ancient Near East, home of the Medes. It appears in the Book of Mormon only in Isaiah’s burden of Babylon, quoted by Nephi, where the Lord declares, “I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver and gold, nor shall they delight in it” (2 Nephi 23:17). The “them” is Babylon, whose destruction the prophecy foretells (2 Nephi 23:1, 19).
Media extended from the west and southwest of the Caspian Sea to the Zagros Mountains. It included the fertile valleys of Atropatene, the highlands of Media Magna, and the Nisaean Plain, known for its breed of horses. Its chief cities were Ecbatana, the royal summer residence, Gazaca, and Ragae.
Media remained a power in the Near East until the fall of its last king, Astyages, after which Cyrus established the Persian Empire.