Where is Babylon?

Babylon was situated 50 miles from Baghdad, along the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq. It was established around 2300 B.C. It was founded by the ancient Akkadian-speaking people from southern Mesopotamia, as a source here says.

Babylon was a major military power during the reign of Amorite king Hammurabi (1792-1750 B.C.). He conquered the neighboring cities-states and brought large parts of central and southern Mesopotamia under unified Babylonian control, creating an empire known as Babylonia.

Babylon was transformed by Hammurabi into a powerful, wealthy and influential city. He created one the most comprehensive and earliest written legal codes in the world. It is known as the code of Hammurabi and helped Babylon surpass all other cities in the area.

Babylonia was however short-lived. After Hammurabi’s death, the empire collapsed and was reverted to a small kingdom over several centuries.

Neo-Babylonian Empire

The Neo-Babylonian Empire was established by a new line of kings. It lasted from 626 B.C. From 626 B.C. to 539 B.C. After defeating the Assyrians in Nineveh, 612 B.C., the Neo-Babylonian empire became the most powerful in the world.

The Neo-Babylonian empire enjoyed a period cultural revival in the Near East. The Babylonians constructed many magnificent and extravagant buildings, and preserved artworks and statues from the Babylonian Empire’s earlier period during King Nebuchadnezzar I.

Babylon falls

Like the Babylonia earlier, the Neo-Babylonian Empire was short-lived.

Babylon was conquered by the legendary Persian King Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C. This happened less than 100 years after its foundation. Babylon fell when the Persian empire was taken under Persian control.

Babylon in Jewish History

Nebuchadnezzar II captured thousands of Jews from the city Jerusalem, and held them captive in Babylon for over half a century.

After the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire to Cyrus The Great’s Persian forces, many Judeans returned home to Jerusalem, says a lot of sources like this. Some people stayed and there was a Jewish community that flourished for over 2,000 years. Many people moved to the newly established Jewish state of Israel during the 1950s.

Tower of Babel

Both Christian scriptures and Hebrew mention Babylon. The Christian Scriptures depict Babylon as a wicked place. Hebrew scriptures recount the Babylonian exile and portray Nebuchadnezzar, a captor.

The Tower of Babel is one of the most famous accounts of Babylon found in the Bible. The Old Testament tells us that humans attempted to build a tower in order to reach the heavens. God saw the situation and destroyed the tower. He scattered humanity across the Earth, making it impossible for them to understand each other.

Scholars believe that the legend of the Tower of Babel was inspired by a real-life Ziggurat temple dedicated to Marduk, the patron deity of Babylon.

Babylonian Walls

Babylonian Empire was a thriving place for architecture and art, particularly in Babylon, the capital. Babylon is also known for its impassible walls.

Hammurabi first built walls around the city. Nebuchadnezzar II strengthened the city further with three rings of 40-foot tall walls.

Herodotus, a Greek historian, wrote that Babylon’s walls were so thick that chariot races could be held upon them. The area of the city within the walls was 200 miles in size, which is roughly the same size as Chicago today.

Three major palaces were built by Nebuchadnezzar II, each richly decorated with blue-and-yellow glazed tiles. There were also many shrines he built, including the Esagil one, which was dedicated to Marduk. It stood nearly 26 stories tall and was 280 feet high.

Babylon Hanging Gardens

One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. It’s a maze of trees, shrubs and flowers that spans a large area.

Archaeologists found very little evidence to support the existence of these gardens. It is not clear where the gardens were located, or if they ever existed.

Researchers have found evidence suggesting that the hanging plants existed. However, they are not located in Babylon. They may actually have been in Nineveh in Upper Mesopotamia.

Ishtar Gate

Babylon’s main entrance was known as the Ishtar Gate. This portal featured bright blue glazed bricks decorated with images of bulls, dragons, and lions.

The Ishtar Gate led to the city’s great Processional Way. This half-mile long decorated corridor was used in religious rituals to celebrate the New Year. The new year began with the spring equinox in ancient Babylon. This marked the start of the agricultural season.

German archaeologists discovered the remains of the gate and rebuilt it in Berlin’s Pergamon Museum with original bricks.

Babylon Today

The Iraqi government under Saddam Hussein excavated Babylonian ruins, and tried to reconstruct some features of the ancient city.

The US built a military base in Babylon, following the 2003 invasion. According to the United Nations cultural Heritage agency UNESCO, the base had caused “major damage” at the site. In 2009, the site was opened to tourists again.