Ishtar Gate the symbol of Babylon
Ishtar Gate the symbol of Babylon
The exquisite mural depicts the city of Babylon The walls are decorated with vibrant blue glazed bricks and intricately carved in bas-reliefs depicting lions bulls and dragons animals associated with Babylon's goddess of love and fertility The animals represent the gods Located north of Babylon and part of the procession route Ishtar Gate is the eighth gate leading into the heart of Babylon Ishtar Gate was the main gate of ancient Babylon Built by Nebuchadnezzar II it was dedicated to the goddess Ishtar the goddess of love and war in Babylonian culture Fertility and power were among the most important goddesses
Mušḫuššu dragon in Istanbul, Ancient Orient Museum, Ishtar Gate
The gate's exquisite glazed bricks are decorated with bas-reliefs depicting Mushu the bull Osh and a lion These three animals represent the gods Marduk Adad and Ishtar Bas-reliefs depicting animals and gods adorn the gate The gate is 50 feet high and has a 45-foot underground base In front of the gate are bas-reliefs depicting two of the most important gods of the Babylonian temple These depict dragons with snake-like heads and tails scaled lions and powerful hind claws
Another symbol of the goddess Ishtar is adorned with jewels In front as you enter the gate you are greeted by a ceremonial procession of about 120 lions bulls dragons and flowers on yellow and black glazed bricks The gate itself depicts only gods and goddesses including Ishtar Adad and Marduk During the New Year festival the statues are carried by parades German archaeologist Robert Koldeway led excavations at the site from 1904 to 1914.
The Processional Way as reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
After World War I the small front gate was reconstructed at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin The original structure consisted of two gates with the larger gate behind the wall decorated primarily with blue-glazed pottery and bas-reliefs depicting animals and gods The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate in Inner Babylon now part of Hillah Babylon Iraq Built around 575 BC by King Nebuchadnezzar II as the northern gate of the city center it was part of the larger city wall which consisted of a corridor leading to the gate
