---
title: Visiting the Ancient City of Babylon
author: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
source: https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1322/visiting-the-ancient-city-of-babylon/
format: machine-readable-alternate
license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/)
updated: 1970-01-01
---
# Visiting the Ancient City of Babylon
_Authored by [Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/OsamaSMAmin/)_
We had a 4-day national holiday. Meaning what? No clinic and no hospital! I said to myself, “It's been a long time since I have visited [Babylonia](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/).” I drove my car for about 11 [hours](https://www.worldhistory.org/Horae/), continuously. Finally, I was there. I went to my uncle's house, which lies about a quarter of an hour from the ancient [city](https://www.worldhistory.org/city/) of [Babylon](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/). The ancient city lies within the modern-day city of Hillah, the center of [Babel](https://www.worldhistory.org/babylon/) Governorate, Iraq, about 83 kilometers south of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital city.
After the US-led invasion in 2003 CE, the American and Polish armies established a military base within the ancient city. [God](https://www.worldhistory.org/God/) only knows what happened there during their presence! A British Museum report has found that [extensive damage](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/jan/15/iraq.arts1) was done to the site by this military occupation. In 2009 CE, the local government of Babylon opened the city to the public.
It was a very sunny and hot day in mid-July, with temperatures exceeding 55 ºC (131 F). I took 8 bottles of cold water with me!
[  The Ancient City of Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9259/the-ancient-city-of-babylon/ "The Ancient City of Babylon")After passing through the checkpoint and doing the security check, I found myself in front of a replica of the [Ishtar Gate](https://www.worldhistory.org/Ishtar_Gate/); this marks the entry into the old city of Babylon. No one was there; the employees were sleeping. I and my cousin went through a large courtyard, where the “Nebuchadnezzar Museum” lies; this museum was looted by local criminals during the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 CE and has been closed ever since.
Then, I faced the processional street. The street is long and is divided into three parts. The first and the third parts are surrounded by fences to prevent people from entering. The original tiles are still in situ! Former president Saddam Hussein ordered the reconstruction and renovation of the ancient city of Babylon during 1980s CE and some of the walls, foundations, and buildings were buried and were replaced by modern ones.
At the right side of the Processional Street lies the Ninmah [temple](https://www.worldhistory.org/temple/). I went inside it and found that some walls and roofs of the temple were in a very bad condition and no recent renovations have been done.
After that, I went once again to the Processional Street. An archaeological team was digging into some part of the foundations of the second part of the street; they uncovered the relief of a Sirrush (a four-legged Babylonian mythological creature)! At the end of the Street, turn left; the Lion of Babylon statue appears! “It has been there, standing on that man, day and night, under the sun and rain, for 2600 years,” I said to myself in awe. The pedestal and the surrounding area were undergoing renovation work. The statue itself was left, as it is, untouched.
[  Ruins of the North Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/2563/ruins-of-the-north-palace-of--nebuchadnezzar-ii-ba/ "Ruins of the North Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon")The ruins of the North [Palace](https://www.worldhistory.org/disambiguation/palace/) of [Nebuchadnezzar II](https://www.worldhistory.org/Nebuchadnezzar_II/) were next. These ruins were not touched during the 1980s' work. The inner walls of the city of Babylon are located just behind this palace, and they look like they are about to collapse. The walls look over the South Palace of Nebuchadnezzar II; this palace was rebuilt completely during Saddam's era and its older walls, rooms, and foundations were completely buried underneath this modern palace.
Although the city and its content underwent a very comprehensive renovation, using modern bricks, the scent of history and the power of king Nebuchadnezzar II are still there; I can feel it! My cousin got bored and our companion was hungry and drowsy; I shot more than 900 pictures and wanted more, but what to do!
I really enjoyed seeing the stamped bricks, and smelling the ancient walls. “Nebuchadnezzar II lived here and this person had changed the path of the history,” I told myself. Saddam Hussein tried to revive Babylon and he portrayed himself as the new Nebuchadnezzar; a policy which intended to create propaganda in order to frighten a nearby country in a very hostile way. He, instead, re-shaped the city and destroyed what Nebuchadnezzar II had done!
### The Processional Way
[  The Processional Way in Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9868/the-processional-way-in-babylon/ "The Processional Way in Babylon")### Babylonian Cobblestones
[  Babylonian Cobblestones Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9869/babylonian-cobblestones/ "Babylonian Cobblestones")### Modern Processional Way Reconstructions
[  The Processional Way of Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9252/the-processional-way-of-babylon/ "The Processional Way of Babylon")### Ninmah Temple
[  Ninmah Temple Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9870/ninmah-temple/ "Ninmah Temple")### Sirrush (Mušḫuššu) and Aurochs Reliefs
[  Part of the Processional Way at Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9253/part-of-the-processional-way-at-babylon/ "Part of the Processional Way at Babylon")### Sirrush
[  Mušḫuššu at the Processional Way of Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9257/mushussu-at-the-processional-way-of-babylon/ "Mušḫuššu at the Processional Way of Babylon")### Stamped Brick in Babylon
[  Inscribed Brick at the Processional Way of Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9260/inscribed-brick-at-the-processional-way-of-babylon/ "Inscribed Brick at the Processional Way of Babylon")### Sirrush Discovery
[  Sirrush Discovery Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9871/sirrush-discovery/ "Sirrush Discovery")### Lion of Babylon Statue
[  Lion of Babylon Statue, Overview Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9872/lion-of-babylon-statue-overview/ "Lion of Babylon Statue, Overview") [  Lion of Babylon Statue Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9873/lion-of-babylon-statue/ "Lion of Babylon Statue")### Another Stamped Mud-Brick
[  Stamped Mud-Brick from Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9874/stamped-mud-brick-from-babylon/ "Stamped Mud-Brick from Babylon")### Inner City Walls of Babylon
[  The Inner walls of Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9254/the-inner-walls-of-babylon/ "The Inner walls of Babylon")### Saddam Plaque
[  Saddam Hussein Plaque in Babylon Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin (Copyright) ](https://www.worldhistory.org/image/9875/saddam-hussein-plaque-in-babylon/ "Saddam Hussein Plaque in Babylon")
#### Editorial Review
This human-authored article has been reviewed by our editorial team before publication to ensure accuracy, reliability and adherence to academic standards in accordance with our [editorial policy](https://www.worldhistory.org/static/editorial-policy/).
## About the Author
Associate Professor of Neurology and lover of the Cradle of Civilization, Mesopotamia. I'm very interested in Mesopotamian history and always try to take photos of archaeological sites and artifacts in museums, both in Iraq and around the world.
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## External Links
- [Babylon | Essay | The Metropolitan Museum of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History](https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/babl/hd_babl.htm)
## Cite This Work
### APA
Amin, O. S. M. (2019, January 21). Visiting the Ancient City of Babylon. *World History Encyclopedia*.
### Chicago
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Visiting the Ancient City of Babylon." *World History Encyclopedia*, January 21, 2019. .
### MLA
Amin, Osama Shukir Muhammed. "Visiting the Ancient City of Babylon." *World History Encyclopedia*, 21 Jan 2019, .
## License & Copyright
Submitted by [Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin](https://www.worldhistory.org/user/OsamaSMAmin/ "User Page: Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin"), published on 21 January 2019. The copyright holder has published this content under the following license: [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en). This license lets others remix, tweak, and build upon this content non-commercially, as long as they credit the author and license their new creations under the identical terms. When republishing on the web a hyperlink back to the original content source URL must be included. Please note that content linked from this page may have different licensing terms.