Half-size replica of the Ishtar Gate at Babylon (Bab-Il, Babel), 90km SW of Baghdad, Iraq, photographed in March 1983 during the Iran-Iraq War.
Half-size replica of the Ishtar Gate at Babylon, 90km SW of Baghdad, Iraq, photographed in March 1983 during the Iran-Iraq War. Part of the Iraqi excavations & reconstructions undertaken at Babylon under Saddam Hussein (1979-2003). The original gate, which stood 35m high, was built by the Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562BC) using glazed & unglazed clay bricks. Moulded reliefs of dragons & aurochs symbolize the gods Marduk & Adad. A Processional Way between temples ran through the Gate, it was lined by high walls decorated with more reliefs including lions, the symbol of Ishtar: Lady of Heaven, Venus as the Evening Star, goddess of sexuality & war. The original Ishtar Gate was excavated & dismantled by German archaeologists 1899-1917: a reconstruction, completed in 1930 using a mix of original & specially made bricks, may be seen in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin. Nebuchadnezzar had his name stamped into the bricks of Babylon, Saddam Hussein had his name stamped into the replica bricks used on site. The replica gate was to form the entrance to a planned museum.
Size: 3780px × 2703px
Location: Replica Ishtar Gate, Babylon, Baghdad, Central Iraq, Iraq
Photo credit: © Mick Sharp / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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