Babylon

I visited this WHS in September 2024. Most of this WHS has not been excavated yet, and judging by most of the lame reconstructions above ground and by the iconic artefacts (above all perhaps, the amazing glazed tiles of the Ishtar Gate and the Babylonian Map of the World clay tablet) which can be found in the National Museum of Baghdad and in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, this is definitely a good thing. The Euphrates river has long vanished from this site and problems of water drainage and rising groundwater levels among the original and/or reconstructed mud brick structures are still a huge headache.

Luckily, the World Monument Fund is now being used quite well to restore the mud brick Ninmakh Temple as well as some of the main elements close to the processional street although a lot more work is needed to strike a better balance between restoration of reconstructions and excavation. If you keep your eyes peeled for some detail among the reconstructions, you'll be able to spot a few original bricks with cuneiform writing among the bricks with Saddam Hussein's name, a few original tiles of the processional street, some original dried mudbricks cemented with bitumen, and much easier to spot, the Lion of Babylon statue. I'm very glad I visited Babylon, but it is one of those important ancient city WHS like Nineveh, Troy, Carthage, etc. where it is very difficult to grasp their OUV from what's left in situ, and much easier to …

I made it to Babylon in April 2025. There’s a lot to explain here – we’re missing a Solivagant-style PhD review, so I have tried my best to cover a few subjects to better be able to understand this WHS. I based myself on the official nomination documents, web searches, and the wonderful book “Mesopotamia, Ancient Art and Architecture”.

First, the Babylonian Empire itself. We had a connection here already. I’ve redone it to distinguish between the “Old” or “First” Babylonian Empire and the Neo-Babylonian Empire. Remains of the first (2nd millennium BCE) are hardly existent at the Babylon WHS. It focuses on the Neo-Babylonian empire, about 1,000 years younger and a relatively late stage in the history of Mesopotamia overall (it is Chapter 12 of 14 in the aforementioned, chronologically ordered book). The King of Babylon (most notably Nebuchadnezzar II) regained regional power and started a monumental building scheme that centered on his capital, Babylon and included the famous Ishtar Gate. This Babylon is also what is referred to multiple times in the Bible (often allegorically and not in a positive way).

Second, the site’s integrity and authenticity. It is estimated that only 18% of the archaeological remains of Babylon have been excavated. Still, you will see a lot of semi-complete buildings at the site. This is the result of the “Revival of Babylon Project” that ran in the 1980s. Saddam Hussain saw himself as a modern Nebuchadnezzar (this was during the Iran-Iraq …

Babylon is the ruin of the capital of the kingdom of Babylon, a country that had enjoyed its heyday since the time of Hammurabi (18th century B.C.E.). The golden age of the development of the city of Babylon fell during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled from 605 to 562 B.C.E. and significantly expanded Babylon, including building the magnificent Southern Palace.

After paying 25 thousand dinars I got a guide who showed me around the complex. The guide was incredibly nice, but his English was rather poor and he had a hard time explaining the historical or architectural complexities. Despite everything, he tried and told a lot, and what I heard was not necessarily pleasant to Polish ears. He worked here during the occupation of these areas by the allied forces (do you remember "Camp Babylon"?) and he cannot say anything good about this occupation. According to him, soldiers did not respect the monuments, treated them carelessly, and even deliberately devastated or took some artifacts - unfortunately, independent sources confirm what he said. On the other hand, he spoke positively about the Polish soldiers who gave him food and healed his seriously ill daughter at a time when it was extremely difficult to find a normal doctor. Apart from the purposefulness of the war itself, I do not understand why the main military camp of the occupiers had to be located next to a place of such great historical importance. Fortunately, Camp Babylon lasted "only" less than …