Remains of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon — Attraction in Al-Hillah Central Subdistrict

If they existed, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon would be the second oldest of the ancient wonders. Built during 425 - 240 BC, the gardens are long gone. Some scholars argue that the reason there's no record of them is precisely because they were gardens -- plants and flowers are living things that eventually die. Even if the structure on which the gardens were affixed remains, However the current state of the Legendary monument is in unrecognizable ruins.

We'll start with the most popular theories about the gardens. They were likely located by the Euphrates River in what is now modern-day Iraq. The gardens didn't actually hang: They draped over the sides of terraces on a brick structure. Some accounts of the gardens claim that they grew as high as 75 feet (22.86 meters) in the air and that people could walk beneath them. Accounts from the classical writer Diodorus Siculus describe that the brick walls were 22 feet (6.7 meters) thick and 400 feet (121 meters) wide. And Philo wrote that there were several strata of flora and many levels of irrigation.

The gardens wouldn't have been the only grand sight in Babylon. This ancient city was filled with shining palaces and sturdy ziggurats. Even the city gates were adorned with carvings and gleamed with glazed bricks [source: Smithsonian]. But in a desert country as dry as Iraq, canopying fronds and blooms would have been an awesome sight to see.

If Babylon's buildings boasted of its great wealth, then the gardens would've demonstrated the engineering skills of their architect. It's no small feat to keep plants thriving in the desert, but to transport water to flowers perched atop a nearly five-story building is a monstrous challenge. The gardens would have relied on the Euphrates as their irrigation source, and the water would likely have been transported through a pumping system made of reeds and stone and stored in a massive holding tank. From the tank, a shaduf (a manually-operated water-lifting device) would have delivered water to the plants.

According to legend, King Nebuchadnezzar built the gardens for his wife, Amytis. Amytis was a princess from Media, a region of Iran near the Caspian Sea. Nebuchadnezzar is said to have built the gardens for her as a reminder of her homeland. But it's strange that Nebuchadnezzar, who recorded his many accomplishments in cuneiform, a type of ancient writing used in record-keeping, didn't mention the gardens.

This has led some scholars to theorize that the gardens were actually built by an Assyrian queen or even by Sennacherib, the ruler of Nineveh.

Today, our knowledge of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon comes from interpretations of ancient accounts and artists' renderings...

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are ancient gardens considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. These remarkable gardens were thought to have been located near the royal palace in Babylon, an ancient city in Mesopotamia (now in southern Iraq). However, the exact site of the Hanging Gardens has not been conclusively established, and many theories persist regarding their structure and location¹².

Here are some key points about the Hanging Gardens: Description: The gardens were described as an ascending series of tiered gardens containing a wide variety of trees, shrubs, and vines, resembling a large green mountain constructed of mud bricks. Origin: According to legend, they were built by Neo-Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II for his Median wife, Queen Amytis, who missed the green hills and valleys of her homeland. Some sources attribute their construction to the legendary queen Semiramis¹. Location Uncertainty: The Hanging Gardens are the only one of the Seven Wonders for which the location has not been definitively established. No extant Babylonian texts mention the gardens, and no definitive archaeological evidence has been found in Babylon. Three theories exist: Mythical Ideal: Some believe they were purely mythical, described in ancient Greek and Roman writings as a romantic ideal of an eastern garden. Destruction: Another theory suggests they existed in Babylon but were destroyed sometime around the first century AD. Alternative Location: The legend might refer to a well-documented garden that the Assyrian King Sennacherib built in his capital city of Nineveh on the River Tigris, near modern-day Mosul²³.

Despite the lack of definitive evidence, the Hanging Gardens continue to captivate our imaginations as a testament to ancient engineering and...

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the most famous wonders of the ancient world, but today there are no clear, visible remains of the gardens themselves. When you visit the Babylon archaeological site, you can see parts of the old city, including palace ruins, ancient walls, and some underground vaulted structures that many believe might have supported the gardens. The area is full of history and gives you a real sense of the ancient Babylonian civilization. Although the gardens no longer exist as described in history, walking through the site is still a special experience. It’s slightly worn and not fully preserved, but it’s fascinating and worth visiting for anyone interested in history and...