Babylon
Babylon lies 90 Kilometers south of Baghdad, and 10 Kilometers north of Hilla the road to Babylon branches of the main Baghdad-Hilla highway. Heavy traffic flows on a four-lane road, which becomes two lanes without any slowing of traffic speeds. Terraces and green gardens flourish behind walls, palm fronds sticking up like plants growing in giant, square pots. Army posts frequently block roads, always with armed soldiers halting traffic for inspections.

In the fertile Mesopotamian plain between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, in what is now modern Iraq, is a mound, or tell, of broken mud-brick buildings and debris. This is all that remains of the ancient famed city of Babylon. Historical resources inform us that Babylon was in the beginning a small town that had sprang up by the beginning of the third millennium BC (the dawn of the dynasties). The town flourished and attained notable prominence and political repute with the rise of the first Babylonian dynasty.

The number of temples that were put up at that time is said to have amounted to (1179) of various sizes and statuses. In addition a number of (153) other temples of a larger size and more sumptuous were also built and dedicated to the names of the greater gods. Among these, there are four mentioned viz.; the temple of "Nanmakh" meaning the great lady, and the temples of "Ishtar", "Babylon" and "Mardukh".

Babylon was a small town came into being in the beginning of the third millennium BC (era of dawn dynasties). It flourished by establishing the first Babylonian dynasty, which was founded by the Babylonian Prince Semo Abem in 1894 BC. In his reign, temples, palaces and walls were built, including as Nen Makh temple (The great lady), Ishtar temple, Baboo temple and Mardoukh temple. 11 kings ruled Babylon in the First Babylonian dynasty; the most famous king was Hammurabi who ruled for 42 years (1792-1750 BC). He was one of the kings who worked on unifying Iraq and keeping its safety. He also took a great interest in irrigation system, economic as well as religious affairs, and ustice among people. He was further known for his famous code of laws, which was the first legislation in the human history. It included 282 items.

From the first Babylonian dynasty eleven kings ruled Babylon, the most famous and illustrious of whom was King Hammurabi. He ruled Babylon for 42 years (1792-1750 BC). During his rule Hammurabi was able to consolidate and entrench the foundations of his kingdom. He triumphed over all the small statelets and is thereby considered among the first and foremost kings who exerted their efforts to unify Iraq and establish firmly its security. Hammurabi also paid great attention to matters of irrigation as well as the religious, economic and justice affairs of the state and people.

Hammurabi's name and fame especially shined in his renowned code of laws, which is deemed to be the first positive code of laws to be recorded in the history of humanity. The code included 282 legal items divided into three fields that began with a preamble and ended with a conclusion.

Babylon was further ruled by several other dynasties the last of which ruled in the later or modern era of Babylon and endured for about one century. The period of King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is among the distinguished periods of reign in the ancient history of Iraq in particular and the ancient history of the middle east in general.

Among the more important works of King Nebuchadnezzar II is that he continued his conquests east and west and established an empire that was the strongest known in history. He made great efforts to rebuild and improve the city of Babylon and expand it. During his reign the area of the city of Babylon amounted to more than 10,000000m2 with a parameter of 18 kms. He surrounded the city with two walls, the outer one actually consisting of three walls. The thickness of the first one which was built of clay amounted to seven meters. The second was built of bricks and had a thickness of seven meters too. The third was also built of bricks and had a thickness of three meters.

Defensive towers were built all along the outer wall which itself was surrounded by a moat filled with water. The inner wall consisted of two rows or walls both of bricks with defensive towers in between. There were a great many buildings inside the wall of which some relics still stand. Among the still surviving buildings are the Southern Palace, the Northern Palace, Ishtar Gate, the Procession Street and the Babylon Tower. There is in the city of Babylon eight main gates (including those of Mardukh and Ishtar) in addition to the Lion of Babylon and the residential quarters.

In execution of the order of President Saddam Hussein the Southern Palace has been rebuilt and with it also the walls of the Procession Street and several temples. A Babylonian theater has been built with tourism facilities. Three mounts have been put up one bearing the name of Saddam along with vast lakes, gardens and orchards.

Babylon was ruled by many dynasties, the last one was the Modern Babylonian era dynasty that lasted for almost one century. Nabukhuthnusar II era was the most distinguished eras in the history of ancient east in general and one of the most powerful empires in history. He worked on enlarging Babylon. He surrounded it by two great walls. The outside wall consists of three smaller walls. The thickness of the two smaller walls, is 7 meters but the third one is 3 meters. Around the outside walls are security towers and in front of it lies a trench, whereas, the inside wall is built of two walls. Inside the wall there are great buildings like the Southern palace, Northern Palace, Ishtar Gate, Al-Mawkeb Street, and Babylon Tower.

Hammurabi made Babylon one of the great cities of the ancient world. Archaeologists have discovered that in his city the streets were laid out in straight lines that intersect approximately at right angles, an innovation that bears witness to city planning and strong central government.

There were 24 streets in Babylon, running either parallel to the river or at a right angle to it. These streets were narrow, irregular, ranging from about four to twenty feet in width with high windowless walls on each side. The streets were not paved, with the exception of the Processional Way, but instead created with raw earth. Streets provided access to houses, temples, and public buildings. They also carried the burden of becoming the dumping grounds for the city. The citizens of Babylon, not unlike those of Renaissance England, threw their garbage and filth into the streets. Then, they covered it up with layers of clay. As a result, the streets of Babylon began to rise, and eventually, houses needed to be built on higher ground.

The street known to the Babylonians as Aibur-shabu (the enemy shall never pass) was the name of the road leading from the north to the Ishtar gate. It was a broad paved road that ran for 200m between high walls (the eastern wall of the northern palace and the western side of the eastern outer bastion).

The most famous street was the "Processional Way" which ran along the eastern side of the southern palace, through the Ishtar gate and outside the inner town to a special festival house called the Bit Akitu situated to the north. The road climbs gently upwards towards gate. Center of the roadway was laid with huge flagstones of limestone, either side were slabs of reb beccia veined with white, each paving stone has an inscription of Nebuchadnezzar's dedication. On leaving the gate, the Processional Way goes past the Southern Palace, sloping downwards then some 900m south turns west between the ziggurat enclosure and the Marduk temple towards the Euphrates bridge built by both Nabonidus and Nebuchadnezzar.

The way was lined with figures of some 120 lions, the symbol of Ishtar in molded glazed bricks. The lions on the Ishtar gate have a dark blue background. They were either white with yellow mane or yellow with red manes (now weathered to green).

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are alluded to in many ancient historical texts, but it is the one Wonder which we are unsure even existed. Current day archeologists are still examining the evidence and trying to determine if and where these Gardens existed. The oldest and best historical reference to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon comes from the third century BC, written by a priest of Babylon named Berosus. He wrote an ancient document called the Babylonica, which is a wonderfully extensive document about many aspects of ancient Babylonian life. His source materials were ancient Babylonian cuneiform records, which he studied and interpreted. Cuneiform tablets were clay plaques into which the written language of Babylonian cuneiform was pressed using writing utensils made from reeds. In his historical documents, Berosus wrote about Babylonian astronomy, the history of the city, the ancient creation myths and the great Epic of Gilgamesh. He listed the dynasties of kings and the countries they ruled; and he also gave the most accurate record of the great Nebuchadnezzar's rule during his many years as King. The appeal of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon lies with the human desire to return to the simple and exquisite life in the Garden of Eden, a life of Earthly Paradise. The myth of an original Garden with perfumed trees and luscious fruits, birds and animal life, and rivers of life giving waters is common to many faiths including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. This mystical and peaceful Paradise holds a fascination for the peoples of all ages and cultures, and which helps us to understand the allure of the first Wonder, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.




Camp Babylon
Multinational Division South Central Iraq is headquartered in the amphitheatre at Babylon. Designed to protect the historic Babylon ruins next to the Euphrates river from looters, the camp is home to a number of coalition countries supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom, including Poland, Spain, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, all under the command of the Multinational Defense force Southeast, or MND(SE).

When Navy Seabees attached to the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) advanced into the ancient biblical city of Babylon at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), they arrived to find the city's museum and its ruins looted and damaged. After Marines secured the city to protect it from further destruction, the Seabees built Camp Babylon around the ancient city in order to protect one of history's most important archaeological treasures. The individual talent of one Seabee led to the repair of one of the museum's most prized re-creations of ancient history; a scale model of the tower of Babel. The tower, according to biblical history, was built by Noah's descendants who intended it to reach up to heaven. God foiled them by confusing their language so they could no longer understand each other.

On the banks of the Euphrates River, a region that was once the center of Jewish culture and study, Jewish Marines and soldiers got a rare chance to celebrate the Sabbath with one of only three military Rabbis' in theater. Army Capt. Avrohom Horovitz a chaplain with 3rd Battalion 27th Artillery Regiment of Ft. Bragg, NC., was invited up to Camp Babylon in Al Hillah from Camp Commando in Kuwait during the last week of June 2003 to minister to the Marines. Years of persecution in Iraq have driven almost all the Jews from Iraq. The region of Babylon was once the center of Jewish study. The Babylon Talmud, a Jewish book of commentary was written near here.

Service members are more connected thanks to new telephone centers being constructed at different base camps and airfields in theater. The second of six phone banks to be constructed in Iraq was completed at Camp Babylon in time for troops to celebrate July 4. The first was constructed at the Air Force Base in Tallil and the four upcoming centers were located in the areas of Al Asad, Mosul, Al Sahra, and Balad. At Camp Babylon, the center was packed with patrons. Before the first call could be made however, much work had to be done. The facility's wooden frame was the handiwork of the Seabees, while five AT&T employees did the installation of the 48 phones. Setting up a satellite telephone in rural Iraq wasn't as difficult as some thought, especially with Navy engineers came on board, according to one AT&T worker. The Marine Headquarters Group at Camp Babylon oversaw service of the phone center by ensuring that the generator powering the bank is fueled, as well as maintaining the tent. Along with a new contracted food catering service that came to Camp Babylon, the new phone center assisted in keeping the troop morale high until they get the long awaited word to return home.

A bipartisan delegation from the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives gave soldiers and Marines supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom a chance to talk to someone from home Aug. 20 at Camp Babylon, Iraq. The visit, part of a 10-day tour planned to include seven countries in the region, was topped-off by a lunch, during which the members of congress sat and talked with constituents serving in Iraq.

In the arid, ancient Iraqi city of Babylon, soldiers of the 716th Military Police Battalion, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) watched Maj.Gen. David Petraeus, 101st commander, pass their unit's colors to a new commander after a skirmish in Karbala left their former leader, Lt.Col. Kim Orlando, and two other soldiers, dead on 15 October 2003.