Originally one of eight double gates in the walls of ancient Babylon.
Enormous size, inspiring awe in both its time and today.
Nebuchadnezzar II and Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II, a king of biblical fame, rebuilt Babylon.
Babylon's roots trace back to the third millennium BC.
Became a significant political center under King Hammurabi in the 1700s BCE.
Nebuchadnezzar II's building campaign included:
Fortifying 11 miles of wall around the city.
Reconstructing the Great Ziggurat with the Temple of Marduk (likely the basis for the Tower of Babel story).
Building palaces.
Creating the Ishtar Gate.
Creating hanging gardens, considered one of the wonders of the world.
Biblical Significance
Nebuchadnezzar is featured in the Book of Daniel.
He conquered Jerusalem, destroyed the temple, and exiled the Jews.
His power enabled vast construction projects.
Ishtar Gate Details
The gate on display is the smaller of the double gates.
The larger gate is too large to display in the museum.
The gate was the entrance to a long processional way.
The Processional Way was lined with lions, symbolizing pride, power, and Nebuchadnezzar's rule.
Lions represent Ishtar, a Babylonian goddess of war, wisdom, and sexuality.
The lions were raised to eye level and slightly smaller than life-size.
Their snarling appearance evokes fear, suggesting control by King Nebuchadnezzar.
Animal Motifs on the Gate
Lions: Represent Ishtar, goddess of war, wisdom, and sexuality.
Aurochs: Ancient bulls, symbolizing fierceness.
Mesopotamian Dragons: Composite beasts associated with Marduk, the patron god of the city.
Lion front paws.
Snake/serpent head and neck.
Eagle hind legs.
Scorpion-like stinger tail.
Aurochs: Represent Adad, the god of storms, fertility, and harvest.
The animals symbolize protection and provision for the city.
Design and Color
Symmetrical and orderly representation of animals.
Originally brilliantly colored in blues and greens.
The vibrant colors would have been striking against the arid desert landscape.
Mesopotamia lacked native stone, so buildings were made of brick from the river valley clay.
The brilliant blue glaze is a faience technique using copper.
Inscription of Nebuchadnezzar
Nebuchadnezzar's inscription describes the gate's construction.
He laid the foundation down to the groundwater level and built it with pure blue stone.
The walls are adorned with bulls and dragons.
He aimed to create splendor for all mankind to behold in awe.
Nebuchadnezzar's Legacy
He understood his place in history and asked future rulers to rebuild his structures.
Saddam Hussein began rebuilding parts of Babylon, including his palace near the Ishtar Gate.
Hussein's efforts were interrupted by military actions and his eventual deposition and death.
Saddam Hussein's motives were to reclaim Nebuchadnezzar's power for his own political purposes and to associate himself with the power of ancient Mesopotamia.