Alexandria Ariana was a settlement founded by Alexander the Great in 330 BC during his invasion of Persia and Central Asia. The city was the first of many founded by Alexander to be established in the eastern satrapies of the crumbling Achaemenid Empire. The remains of the ancient city lie in the general area of the modern settlement of Herat, Afghanistan, in the ancient regions of Aria and Ariana. There has been extensive historical debate regarding the relationship of Alexander's foundation to the Achaemenid citadel of Artacoana, its predecessor. As no excavations of Herat have taken place, the precise location of Alexandria Ariana is unknown.