Babylon

Babylon is a in Iraq, today only ruins; it was once one of the most prominent cities of Ancient Mesopotamia. Alexander the Great chose Babylon to be the capital of the great empire he had created, and died there while planning further conquests; for several centuries after that it was a major center of the Seleucid Empire founded by one of his generals.

Understand
It is likely that Babylon (from Bab Ilim, Gate of the Gods) was founded in the third millennium BC and rose to prominence over the next thousand years. By the 18th century BC the city was the centre of the empire of Hammurabi. Various empires controlled Babylon over the following centuries. Babylon briefly regained independence during the Neo-Babylonian empire towards the end of the 7th century BC, most notably under the reign of king Nebuchadnezzar II, but came under Persian rule in the 6th century BC. In the 4th century BC, Alexander the Great captured Babylon. Babylon remained a notable Persian province until the 7th century AD, and then fell into decline.

The ruins of Babylon have suffered greatly due to looting and destructive policies. Parts of Nebuchadnezzar's palace and some of the old city walls remain. Saddam Hussein commissioned a non-scientific, very controversial "restoration" of ancient Babylon on part of the site, in the process destroying much of the ancient site all the way to the foundations. A modern palace was constructed for him on what was purported to have been Nebuchadnezzar's ancient palace.

A reconstruction of Babylon's Ishtar Gate is displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

Get in
The ruins are located about north from the city of Hillah, the capital of Babylon Province. Hillah is well-connected with overnight trains from Baghdad and Basra as well as highways. Taxi is recommended for travelling from the city to Babylon.

See




Modern sights




Sleep
Nearby Hillah has several hotels too.



Stay safe
See the warning on the Iraq article.