Babylon was the capital of the Old Babylonian king Hammurabi. Under Hammurabi, Babylon grew from a relatively regional center into the political capital of a powerful kingdom in the early second millennium BCE.
Hammurabi ruled approximately from 1792 to 1750 BCE. Through military campaigns and diplomacy, he brought cities such as Larsa and Mari under Babylonian control. Babylon’s location on the Euphrates helped connect agricultural regions, trade routes, and administrative centers.
The city later became even more famous under the Neo-Babylonian Empire, especially during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II. This creates a common chronological mix-up: Hammurabi belonged to the Old Babylonian period, while the monumental Ishtar Gate and much of the visible imperial architecture belong to the later Neo-Babylonian period. Babylon remained a major symbol of Mesopotamian kingship and scholarship for centuries.