Throughout time, humanity has been interested in ancient civilizations. Many cities keep unknown secrets to this day. Ancient Babylon is no exception. In this article we will talk about the Tower of Babel, the Ishtar Gate and the Gardens of Semiramis.
It is known that the creator of Babylon is Nimrod. Nimrod was a descendant of the famous biblical character Noah. After Noah's flood, people tried to build Babylon and the Tower of Babel, which was supposed to reach heaven. The Bible says that these people came from the East. Before starting the construction of the tower, they decided that the brick from which they would build it must be fired. It took 85 million bricks to build the tower. Some famous historians believe that the tower builders wanted to avenge the flood and "make a name for themselves." But people did not learn a lesson from the previous disaster and decided to challenge God again. At that time all people were still one flame, and the language of communication was one. Having achieved success in building the city, Nimrod became proud. It is clear from the biblical texts that this man was strong and cruel. Having learned about such human insolence, the angry God decided to punish the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon. From the point of view of the Bible, these people were ruled by Satan himself, because he also did not want to submit to God and started a rebellion. Then God decided to punish the disobedient in another way. He scattered all those who were building the tower all over the earth and created many languages.
The descendants of Japheth settled in Europe, the descendants of Shem settled in Southwest Asia, the descendants of Ham settled in Africa and southern Asia. The descendants of Canaan settled in Palestine, and as a result this land was called Canaan. After that, people could no longer understand each other. The city and the tower were not completed to the end. Based on the Bible, Ancient Babylon is associated with evil and pride. There is another myth according to which the Tower of Babel was built by the Anunnaki - the underground gods. Their goal was to glorify the Babylonian patron god Marduk. No matter how this biblical legend may seem like a fiction, it coincides with the historical reality. The time of the death of Ancient Babylon coincides with the beginning of the Great Nations Migration. And here the question arises: what really destroyed Ancient Babylon? God's punishment or more natural reasons?
For a very long time, historians doubted the real existence of the Tower of Babel. However, at the beginning of the 20th century, the exact location of Ancient Babylon was found by a German archaeologist. In the spring of 1899, Robert Koldewey began excavating the hills that formed on the site of the ruins of the city and were of no particular interest. He found the foundation of the Tower of Babel and the gate of the goddess Ishtar. But, unfortunately, the foundation was the second tower, which was built in memory of the first in the era of Hammurabi.
The Tower of Babel was located on the left bank of the Euphrates in the Sakhn plain. It is not known exactly when the tower was first erected, but it is known that it was solved more than once by the Assyrians. But each new ruler revived it again, until the next conqueror of Babylon wanted to do it. It took fifteen years to excavate the foundation of the Koldewey Tower, but hope did not leave the future world famous German archaeologist. Excavations revealed that the foundation of the second tower was ninety centimeters square. According to Herodotus, the height of the tower was the same. The first floor was thirty-three meters, the second eighteen meters, and the remaining floors were six meters each. The topmost floor was fifteen meters high and on it was located the most beautiful temple of the Babylonian god Marduk. The second temple was on the first floor. There was also a huge statue to this god, in front of which the sacrifice was taking place. And around the tower there were houses of pilgrims and priests.
Now archaeologists suggest that Ancient Babylon is the legacy of the mysterious Sumerian civilization. It was the representatives of this people who were destroyed by the Flood. Most likely, the surviving representatives of the Sumerian people built Ancient Babylon. The found cuneiform clay tablets, which spoke of the fate of the Tower of Babel, also confirm the existence of the tower.
Promotional video:
Another interesting mystery is shrouded in the Gate of the goddess Ishtar, which was also found during the excavations of Robert Koldevei. It is known that the gate was erected in 575 BC. AD under King Nebuchadnezzar. The gate was in the form of a semicircular arch and with two rectangular towers on the sides. They were so large that they amazed contemporaries. On the walls of the arch were depicted dragons, bulls and other mysterious animals, which the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon considered sacred. The bricks from which the gate was built were covered with bright blue enamel. It is in this enamel that the main mystery of the gate of the goddess Ishtar lies.
In order to make such a mixture, certain components are required, but they were not present in Ancient Babylon. Therefore, the Babylonians had to take them from other countries, which were almost at the end of the world. With all this, the temperature had to be at least 900 degrees Celsius in order to make such an enamel. And after covering the bricks with enamel, they were fired for twelve hours at a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius. The catch is that in the modern world, this temperature can only be achieved with the help of electronics. How did the inhabitants of Ancient Babylon do this is indeed a mystery. Fragments of the ancient gate can be found in various museums around the world.
It is impossible not to mention the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which is currently one of the seven Wonders of the World. Scientists still cannot agree on the existence of this mysterious landmark. There are those who believe that the Gardens of Semiramis were confused with the parks in Ninivea.
We have witnessed the Gardens of such ancient historians as Diodorus and Strabo. It is strange that Herodotus, who visited Mesopotamia, does not mention anything about gardens. And also in the annals of Babylon, there is also no mention of this wonderful place. Another mystery is that it is not known exactly who was the creator of such beautiful gardens. Officially, it is believed that Nebuchadnezzar II was the creator of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. There is also another version. It is believed that the Assyrian Queen Semiramis may be responsible for the construction of the gardens. It is not for nothing that this Wonder of the World is named after her. But this is only a version that is not supported by a sufficient number of facts. Therefore, let's turn to the official version. According to her, the Hanging Gardens of Seminamides were ordered to be built by Nebuchadnezzar II, who lived in the VI century BC for his wife Amitis. Amitis was originally from Media and Nebuchadnezzar II married her for the sake of an alliance with the Midian state. Soon the Babylonian ruler fell in love with his wife and ordered to gather the best engineers and mathematicians to build a beautiful garden for his young wife. The problem is that Amitis came from a place where there was a lot of greenery and light, and Ancient Babylon was a dusty and stifling city. It depressed her. Nebuchadnezzar wanted to please his love. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were created on a hill at a height of 30-40 meters and consisted of four tiers. The irrigation system was also interesting. It is believed that water was delivered by slaves around the clock, pumping it from the river. Unfortunately, the Gardens of Semiramis have not survived to this day. Only ruins remained 90 km from Baghdad. It was truly a beautiful structure. The first monument in honor of love at that time.
As you can see, Ancient Babylon keeps many secrets and mysteries, which have yet to be solved and understood. It is safe to say that Babylonian engineering has reached a high level. Proof of this are such ingenious constructions as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Tower of Babel. The Babylonians even knew how to make accurate calculations of the movement of the heavenly bodies already in those days.
