Ishtar Gate

Created in 575 BC, largely in homage to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, this was one of eight double gates that helped shape 11 miles of wall fortified to protect the inner city of Babylon. This enormous, luminous gate stood at the end of a long processional way, one engraved with lion —a nod to both Ishtar and reigning King Nebuchadnezzar II’s power and pride.

Blue was a rare natural color in the arid Mesopotamian world, and the glazed bricks (whose vibrant blues and greens would have come from copper) added a rare and arresting visual.

In the early twentieth century, German archeologists began excavating. When they came across the Ishtar Gate, they dismantled it and brought its pieces back to Berlin, where much of its facade is (controversially) exhibited in a museum. This replica stands on the original site.

On the bricks are alternating rows of identical versions of lions, aurochs (ferocious bulls), and mušḫuššu, a composite beast with a lion’s legs, an eagle’s talons, a snake’s tongue, and a scorpion’s tail. While such a hybrid doesn’t collectively evoke a welcome! sign, the Ishtar Gate made such an impression on people that it was once considered a wonder of the world.

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