Babylon

Babylon is an ancient city located along the Euphrates River in Mesopotamia, near present-day Hillah in the Babil Governorate of Iraq. The name most likely derives from the Akkadian Bābili, often interpreted as "Gate of God" or "Gateway of the Gods." For much of its history, it was a major political, economic, and cultural center in southern Mesopotamia.

Babylon rose to prominence in the 2nd millennium BCE, especially under Hammurabi (reigned c. 1792–1750 BCE), who united much of southern Mesopotamia and codified a comprehensive legal code. The city reached its peak during the Neo-Babylonian (Chaldean) Empire of the 7th–6th centuries BCE, with kings such as Nebuchadnezzar II preserving and expanding monumental construction, including the Ishtar Gate and the ziggurat Etemenanki. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are widely retellings but their existence and exact location remain disputed.

In 539 BCE, Babylon fell to Cyrus the Great and became part of the Achaemenid Empire. It later came under Macedonian and Hellenistic rule after the conquests of Alexander the Great and experienced continuing but diminished importance through subsequent empires. By late antiquity the city was largely abandoned as a political center, though it remained a symbol in biblical and classical sources.

In the modern era, Babylon's ruins have been excavated by various archaeologists and are preserved as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site faces threats from environmental conditions, looting, and nearby development. Current archaeological work aims to document, conserve, and interpret the remains of temples, palaces, and earlier urban layers that reveal the city's long history.