Iraq contains the ancient city of Babylon. Its ruins lie near the modern town of Hillah, south of Baghdad, in the historical region of Mesopotamia.
Babylon became the capital of the Babylonian Empire and reached great prominence under rulers including Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar II. Hammurabi is famous for a surviving law collection, while Nebuchadnezzar II is associated with major building projects.
The city’s remains include the Ishtar Gate, Processional Way, temples, and defensive structures. The famous Ishtar Gate was decorated with glazed blue bricks and images of lions, bulls, and dragons. The gate seen at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin is a reconstructed display using excavated material, not the entire original structure.
Babylon was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2019. Popular stories about the Hanging Gardens remain influential, but their exact location and existence in Babylon are debated by historians.