The Ishtar Gate was the eighth gate of the city of Babylon (in present day Iraq) and was the main entrance into the great city. It was a sight to behold; the gate was covered in lapis lazuli glazed bricks which would have rendered the façade with a jewel-like shine. Alternating rows of bas relief lions, dragons, and aurochs representing powerful deities formed the processional way. The message of course, was that Babylon was protected and defended by the gods, and one would be wise not to challenge it. The magnificent gate, which was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, was once included among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World until it was replaced by the Lighthouse of Alexandria in the 3rd century BC. Today, a reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, using original bricks, is located at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.
The Babylonians had risen to power in the late 7th century and were heirs of the urban traditions which had long existed in southern Mesopotamia. They eventually ruled an empire as dominant in the Near East as that held by the Assyrians before them. This period is called the Neo-Babylonian Empire because Babylon had also risen to power earlier and became an independent city-state, most famously during the reign of King Hammurabi (1792 - 1750 BC). With the recovery of Babylonian independence under Nabopolassar a new era of architectural activity ensued, and his son Nebuchadnezzar II made Babylon into one of the wonders of the ancient world.
King Nebuchadnezzar II (605 BC-562 BC) ordered the construction of the Ishtar Gate in about 575 BC, and was part of his plan to beautify his empire's capital. It was under his rule that Babylon became one of the most splendid cities of the ancient world. He ordered the complete reconstruction of the imperial grounds, including rebuilding the Etemenanki ziggurat (the Temple of Marduk) and is also credited with the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon – said to have been built for his homesick wife Amyitis.
A modern recreation of the famous Ishtar Gates of Babylon, showing some of the splendor of the city. Image source.
The Ishtar Gate measured nearly 12 metres in height and had a vast antechamber of the southern side. The roof and doors were made of cedar, while the surrounding bricks were furnished with enameled tiles thought to be of lapis lazuli, a deep blue semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color.
Through the gatehouse was the Processional Way, a red and yellow brick-paved corridor over half a mile long with walls over 15 metres tall on each side. The walls were adorned with over 120 images of lions, bulls, dragons, and flowers, made from enamelled yellow and brown tiles, as well as inscriptions containing prayers from King Nebuchadnezzar to the chief god Marduk. It was this processional way that led to the temple of Marduk. Every year, statues of deities were paraded through the Ishtar Gate and down the Processional Way for the New Year's celebration.
Reconstruction of the Processional Way, with sculptural lions, dragons, and bulls lining the path. Source: Wikipedia
City model of the main procession street (Aj-ibur-shapu) towards Ishtar Gate in Babylon. Model at the Pergamon Museum. Source: Wikipedia
During the excavations of Babylon, in the immediate vicinity of the Ishtar Gate, numerous fragments of bricks with remains of white-glazed cuneiform characters were found. The text was restored by comparison with another complete inscription on a lime stone block. It was a dedication by King Nebuchadnezzar II that explained the gate's construction and purpose:
I, Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon, the faithful prince appointed by the will of Marduk, the highest of princely princes, beloved of Nabu, of prudent counsel, who has learned to embrace wisdom, who fathomed their divine being and reveres their majesty, the untiring governor, who always takes to heart the care of the cult of Esagila and Ezida and is constantly concerned with the well-being of Babylon and Borsippa, the wise, the humble, the caretaker of Esagila and Ezida, the firstborn son of Nabopolassar, the King of Babylon.
Both gate entrances of Imgur-Ellil and Nemetti-Ellil following the filling of the street from Babylon had become increasingly lower.
Therefore, I pulled down these gates and laid their foundations at the water table with asphalt and bricks and had them made of bricks with blue stone on which wonderful bulls and dragons were depicted.
I covered their roofs by laying majestic cedars length-wise over them. I hung doors of cedar adorned with bronze at all the gate openings.
I placed wild bulls and ferocious dragons in the gateways and thus adorned them with luxurious splendor so that people might gaze on them in wonder.
I let the temple of Esiskursiskur (the highest festival house of Marduk, the Lord of the Gods a place of joy and celebration for the major and minor gods) be built firm like a mountain in the precinct of Babylon of asphalt and fired bricks.
Building inscription of King Nebuchadnezzar II. Source: Wikipedia
The legendary Ishtar Gate was found to be a historical reality when it was discovered and subsequently excavated between 1902 to 1914 AD by Robert Koldewey, a German architect and archaeologist made famous for his in-depth excavation of the ancient city of Babylon.
The Ishtar Gate was the main entrance into the great city of Babylon, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II (605 BC-562 BC) as part of his plan to create one of the most splendid and powerful cities of the ancient world. The discovery of the ancient gate in 1902 by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey was met with awe, and its reconstruction in 1930 revealed its architectural splendor. But the discovery of the Gate of Ishtar revealed much more than the building accomplishments of the Babylonians; it shed light on the religious beliefs and customs of the once powerful Empire of Babylon.
The Ishtar Gate was the main entrance into the great city of Babylon, commissioned by King Nebuchadnezzar II (605 BC-562 BC) as part of his plan to create one of the most splendid and powerful cities of the ancient world. The discovery of the ancient gate in 1902 by German archaeologist Robert Koldewey was met with awe, and its reconstruction in 1930 revealed its architectural splendor. But the discovery of the Gate of Ishtar revealed much more than the building accomplishments of the Babylonians; it shed light on the religious beliefs and customs of the once powerful Empire of Babylon.
The Ishtar Gate is so named, because it was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, the East Semitic Akkadian, Assyrian and Babylonian goddess of fertility, love, war, and sex.
She is the counterpart to the Sumerian Inanna, and in the Babylonian pantheon, she was the divine personification of the planet Venus. Her cult was the most important one in ancient Babylon; it is believed to have included temple prostitution, although this is debatable. According to the noted Assyriologist Samuel Noah Kramer, kings in the ancient Near Eastern region of Sumer established their legitimacy by taking part in a ritual sexual act in the temple of the fertility goddess Ishtar every year on the tenth day of the New Year festival Akitu.
Old Babylonian period Queen of Night relief, often considered to represent an aspect of Ishtar. Source: Wikipedia
Leading from the grand entrance of the Ishtar Gate was the Processional Way, a pathway lined with sculptural reliefs of lions, aurochs (bulls), and dragons, in which Nebuchadnezzar II paid homage to the Babylonian deities through the animal representations. The lion is associated with Ishtar – as the goddess of war and the protector of her people, the winged Ishtar was depicted holding a bow and quiver of arrows and riding a chariot that was drawn by seven lions. She was sometimes shown standing on the back of a lion, or in the company of two lions.
Sculptural relief of a lion along the Processional Way. Photo source: BigStockPhoto
The auroch is an extinct type of large wild cattle that inhabited Europe, Asia and North Africa and is the ancestor of domestic cattle. The young bulls are associated with Adad, a weather god in the Babylonian pantheon. Adad had a twofold aspect, being both the giver and the destroyer of life. His rains caused the land to bear grain and other food for his friends, which his storms and hurricanes, evidences of his anger against his foes, brought darkness, want, and death. Adad was typically represented brandishing lightning bolts and standing on or beside a bull.
Sculptural relief of an auroch (bull) along the Processional Way. Photo source: BigStockPhoto
Finally, the dragon (sirrush) is a symbolic representation of Marduk, the chief god of Babylon. Marduk's original character is obscure but he was later associated with water, vegetation, judgment, and magic. According to ancient mythology, Marduk defeated Tiamat, a chaos monster and primordial goddess of the ocean who mated with Abzû (the god of fresh water) to produce younger gods.
The presence of the snake-dragon has been a matter of much debate among researchers who pointed out that the mythical animal was out of place next to sculptures depicting known animals (lions and bulls) that were contemporary with the Babylonians. The creature, often referred to as sirrush or mušḫuššu (“splendour serpent”) can be described as having a slender body covered with scales, a long slender scaly tail, and a serpent's head with a long forked tongue.
Robert Koldewey, who discovered the Ishtar Gate, seriously considered the notion that the sirrush was a portrayal of a real animal. He argued that its depiction in Babylonian art was consistent over many centuries, while those of mythological creatures changed, sometimes drastically, over the years. In 1918, he proposed that Iguanodon (a dinosaur with birdlike hindfeet) was the closest match to the sirrush.
Snake-Dragon, Symbol of Marduk, the Patron God of Babylon. Panel from the Ishtar Gate. Detroit Institute of Arts. Image source.
The sculptural reliefs of lions, aurochs, and dragons representing powerful deities sent a powerful message to all who entered the great gate – that Babylon was protected and defended by the gods, and one would be wise not to challenge it.
Every spring, a great procession that included the king, members of his court, priests, and statues of the gods passed through the Ishtar Gate and along the Processional Way to the “Akitu” temple to celebrate the New Year’s festival.
“The dazzling procession of the gods and goddesses, dressed in their finest seasonal attire, atop their bejeweled chariots began at the Kasikilla, the main gate of the Esagila (a temple dedicated to Marduk), and proceeded north along Marduk’s processional street through the Ishtar Gate,” wrote Julye Bidmead, a professor at Chapman University, in her book “The Akitu Festival: Religious Continuity and Royal Legitimation in Mesopotamia”.
The name ‘Akitu’ is from the Sumerian for "barley", originally marking two festivals celebrating the beginning of each of the two half-years of the Sumerian calendar, marking the sowing of barley in autumn and the cutting of barley in spring. In Babylonian religion it came to be dedicated to Marduk's victory over Tiamat.
The Akitu festival was continued throughout the Seleucid period (312 – 63 BC) and into the Roman Empire period. Roman Emperor Elagabalus (r. 218-222), who was of Syrian origin, even introduced the festival in Italy. A number of contemporary Near Eastern spring festivals still exist today. Iranians traditionally celebrate 21st March as Noruz (“New Day”), while Kha b-Nissan is the name of the spring festival celebrated among the Assyrians on 1st April.
Featured image: The Sirrush Dragons guarded the Gate of Ishtar. Image source.
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