Ambassador Archives
Ambassador Hill Visits Babylonian Ruins
Ambassador Christopher R. Hill toured the archeological ruins of Babylon
on June 2. The ruins, located on the outskirts of Hillah, are managed
by Iraq's State Board of Antiquities and Heritage. A management and
preservation plan, to be carried out by the World Monuments Fund in
partnership with the State Board of Antiquities and Heritage, is funded
by a $700,000 Department of State grant.
Babylon was one of the most important cities of ancient history.
Hammurabi, whose famous, 4,000 year old legal code included "an eye for
an eye," made Babylon his capital. Nebuchadnezzar II, who built the
Tower of Babel and the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon over 2,500
years ago, expanded the Neo-Babylonian Empire from the Arabian Gulf to
the Mediterranean.
During his visit, Ambassador Hill visited the believed site of the
Hanging Gardens and walked through the base of the famous Ishtar Gate.
