Guides offer tourists visiting Iraq to see the ruins of the once beautiful gardens located near Al-Hill (90 km from Baghdad), but stone fragments in the middle of the desert cannot impress the layman, but perhaps inspire archeology lovers.

The Gardens of Babylon were discovered in 1899 during excavations by archaeologist Robert Koldewey, who uncovered a network of intersecting trenches. In the sections, ruins are guessed, remotely similar in description to the legendary Gardens.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are younger than the pyramids. They were built at a time when the Odyssey already existed and Greek cities were being built. And at the same time, gardens are much closer to the Egyptian ancient world than to the Greek world. The gardens mark the decline of the Assyro-Babylonian state, contemporary ancient egypt, his rivals. And if the pyramids survived everyone and are alive today, then the hanging gardens turned out to be short-lived and disappeared along with Babylon - a majestic, but not durable giant of clay.

This masterpiece was built at the behest of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II.

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC), in order to fight against the main enemy - Assyria, whose troops twice destroyed the capital of the state of Babylon, entered into a military alliance with Cyaxares, the king of Media.

Having won, they divided the territory of Assyria among themselves. Their military alliance was confirmed by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar II to the daughter of the Median king Amitis.

He ordered the best engineers, mathematicians and inventors to create gardens for the joy of his wife. The wife of the ruler was from Media, a land filled with the aroma of flowering gardens and green hills. In stuffy, dusty and stinking Babylon, she suffocated and yearned for her native land.

The warriors of Nebuchadnezzar were ordered to dig up during their campaigns and bring to Babylon all unknown plants. Caravans and ships arriving from distant countries were also obliged to bring various botanical curiosities. Near the royal palace, like the steps of a giant staircase, seven terraces appeared. Each of them was a marvelous garden in which unprecedented herbs were green, flowers filled the air with an intoxicating aroma, colorful birds chirped in the branches of exotic trees, graceful swans glided over the surface of transparent ponds, and at the same time all the terraces were a single whole. They were united by climbing plants, located along the edges of the terraces and crawling from one to another. From a distance it seemed that a fantastic motley mountain, as if having descended from heaven, hovered over a lifeless plain.
Herodotus wrote about the capital of the world: "Babylon surpasses in splendor any other city on Earth."

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were described by many ancient historians, including Greek ones - Strabo and Diodorus. This suggests that the miracle really existed, and was not fantasy or fiction. But on the other hand, Herodotus, who traveled around Mesopotamia in the 5th century before the birth of Christ, mentions many sights of Babylon, but does not say a word about the main miracle - the Gardens of Babylon.

The description of the Gardens is rather poor. Here is how the gardens are described in the testimonies of Strabo and Diodorus: “The garden is quadrangular, and each side of it is four pletras long. It consists of arched vaults that are staggered like cubic bases. Climbing to the topmost terrace is possible by stairs…”

In the annals of Babylon, the Gardens are also not mentioned, while the Chaldean priest Beros, who lived at the end of the 4th century BC, described this structure in detail and clearly. True, further evidence from Greek historians is very reminiscent of the stories of Berossus. In general, the mystery of the Gardens of Babylon continues to excite the minds of scientists and ordinary people even now, after more than 2000 years.

A number of scholars suggest that perhaps the Gardens of Babylon were confused with similar parks in Ninivei, which was located on the east bank of the Tiber in Ancient Assyria. The lush gardens of Ninivey, laid out near the entrance to the palace, were located next to the river and were irrigated like the Hanging Gardens of Babylon with the help of a system of Archimedean screws. However, this device was invented only in the III century BC, while the Gardens of Babylon were similarly supplied with water already in the VI century before the birth of Christ.

Direct evidence of the real existence of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was the stories about Alexander the Great, who conquered Babylon without a fight.

In 331 BC, the people of Babylon sent ambassadors to the Macedonian with an invitation to enter Babylon in peace. Alexander was struck by the wealth and grandeur, although declining, but still largest city peace and stayed there. In Babylon, Alexander was greeted as a liberator. And ahead lay the whole world, which had to be conquered.

Less than ten years later, the circle is closed. Lord of the East Alexander, tired, exhausted by the inhuman tension of eight recent years, but full of plans and designs returned to Babylon. He was already ready to conquer Egypt and march to the West in order to subjugate Carthage, Italy and Spain and reach the limit of the then world - the Pillars of Hercules. But in the midst of preparations for the campaign, he fell ill. For several days, Alexander struggled with the disease, conferred with the generals, and prepared the fleet for the campaign. The city was hot and dusty. The summer sun tilted the red walls of multi-storey buildings through a haze. During the day, noisy bazaars calmed down, deafened by an unprecedented flow of goods - cheap slaves and jewelry brought by warriors from Indian borders - easily obtained, easily leaving prey. Heat and dust penetrated even through the thick walls of the palace, and Alexander was suffocating - for all these years he could not get used to the heat of his eastern dominions. He was afraid to die not because he trembled before death - death, understandable and even permissible ten years ago, was now unthinkable for him, a living god. Alexander did not want to die here, in the dusty stuffiness of a foreign city, so far from the shady oak forests of Macedonia, without completing his fate. After all, if the world so obediently lay down at the feet of his horses, then, therefore, the second half of the world should join the first. He could not die without seeing and conquering the West.

And when Vladyka became very ill, he remembered the only place in Babylon where he should feel better, because it was there that he caught, remembered - and remembering, was surprised - the aroma of Macedonian, filled with bright sun, the murmur of a brook and the smell of forest herbs. Alexander, still great, still alive, at the last stop on the way to immortality, ordered to be transferred to the Hanging Gardens...

Modern historians prove that when the soldiers of Alexander the Great reached the fertile land of Mesopotamia and saw Babylon, they were amazed. After returning to their hardy homeland, they reported amazing gardens and trees in Mesopotamia, Nebuchadnezzar's palace, the Tower of Babel and ziggurats. This gave food to the imagination of poets and ancient historians, who mixed all these stories into one whole to produce one of the seven Wonders of the World.

In 1898, on the banks of the Euphrates, a hundred kilometers south of modern Baghdad, on the instructions of the German Oriental Society, archaeologist Robert Koldewey began searching for the legendary Babylon.

After reviewing many literature on ancient city, Koldevey dreamed of finding this miracle of architecture, the glory of which was the Tower of Babel, the grandiose fortress walls and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. According to historical sources, the luxury and grandeur of the city attracted merchants, travelers, and simply seekers of happiness from all over the world. Motley crowds, consisting of merchants who brought here caravans with unprecedented goods, wandering musicians, warriors, fortune-tellers, healers, corrupt women and pickpockets, filled the streets of Babylon.

Many centuries have passed since then. It seemed that there was no trace left of the great civilization. In those places where Babylon could once be, hills stretched with steep slopes and stunted vegetation. It was here, on the Sakhi (Skovoroda) plain, that Robert Koldewey headed in order to start searching in the spring of 1899. Two hundred workers took part in the large-scale excavations. In order to take out mountains of garbage and rubble, a portable railway was ordered from Europe.

Success came almost from the first days, and after a few months of work, Koldewey got an idea of ​​​​the scale of Babylon.
The archaeologists saw a wall made of mud brick 7 meters wide and 12 meters high, not far from it underground there was another wall almost 8 meters wide, and behind it another one, three meters wide, encircling a moat once lined with bricks. On the inner wall, which had a length of more than 18 kilometers, there were 360 ​​fortress towers. Thus, according to Koldevey's calculations, the city, hiding behind such grandiose fortress walls, could rightfully be considered the largest of those built by man four thousand years ago.

Every day brought new finds - unique bas-reliefs, winged lions, copper-studded city gates, household items, gold jewelry, ancient burials ... Apparently, here, in ancient Mesopotamia, the greatest known civilization once flourished. Which? Specialists who studied the artifacts recovered at the excavation site suggested that they could be the Sumerians, who, as you know, built stone cities, had a unique script, and many of their structures are still a mystery to modern engineers.

According to some historians, the Sumerian civilization was destroyed as a result of some kind of global natural disaster. However, the surviving representatives of this people could have founded Babylon, in which the greatness of the Sumerians who had gone forever was revived.

In the northeastern part of the palace complex, Koldewey unearthed 12 underground rooms with very massive vaults, as if designed for a huge load. These rooms were built of hewn stones and were located in ledges, and between them there was a passage. The thickness of the walls reached seven meters. Near these amazing buildings there was a round well, and on both sides of it were smaller rectangular wells. Near the well rose a structure resembling a scoop lift, which could be intended for continuous supply of water to the top.

According to Koldevey, this is what the underground part of the Hanging Gardens most likely looked like. Above their powerful vaults, apparently, was the central part of the terraces.

In architectural terms, the Hanging Gardens were a pyramid, consisting of seven or four tiers - platforms, they were supported by columns up to 25 m high. The lower tier had the shape of an irregular quadrangle, the largest side of which was 42 m, the smallest - 34 m. The height of the floors reached 50 cubits (27.75 m). To prevent seepage of irrigation water, the surface of each platform was first covered with a layer of reeds mixed with asphalt, then with two layers of bricks held together with gypsum mortar, with lead slabs laid on top of everything. Fertile land lay on them with a thick carpet, where seeds of various herbs, flowers, shrubs, and trees were planted. The pyramid looked like an ever-blooming green hill.

Pipes were placed in the cavity of one of the columns, through which water from the Euphrates was pumped day and night to the upper tier of gardens, from where it, flowing in streams and small waterfalls, irrigated the plants of the lower tiers. The murmur of water, the shade and coolness among the trees, taken out from distant Media, seemed like a miracle.

The found cellars, most likely, were the vault of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. And the system provided water for a giant garden structure.

Unfortunately, the system of underground structures is the only thing left and survived to this day from the magnificent Hanging Gardens. However, a legend has also been preserved that, having transferred the throne to her son, Semiramis, who possessed witchcraft knowledge, rushed from the upper terrace, but did not break, but, turning into a white dove, flew to her beloved homeland.
Semiramis - Shammuramat - a historical person, but her life is legendary. According to legend, the daughter of the goddess Derketo Semiramide grew up in the desert, in a flock of doves. Then the shepherds saw her and gave her to the caretaker of the royal herds, Simmas, who raised her as her own daughter. The royal commander Oannes saw the girl and married her. Semiramide was amazingly beautiful, smart and brave. She charmed the gift, who took her away from the governor. Oannes took his own life, and Semiramis became queen. After the death of her husband, she became the heiress to the throne, although they had a son Nny. It was then that her abilities in the peaceful administration of the state manifested themselves. She built the royal city of Vavilov with powerful walls and towers, with a magnificent bridge over the Euphrates and an amazing temple of Bel. With her was laid comfortable road through the seven ridges of the Zagros chain to Lydia, where she also built the capital Ecbatana with a beautiful royal palace, and led the water to the capital through a tunnel from distant mountain lakes. The courtyard of Semiramis shone with splendor. Pinius was bored with an inglorious life, and he organized a conspiracy against his mother. The queen voluntarily handed over power to her son, and herself, turning into a dove, flew away from Deorn with a flock of doves. Since that time, the Assyrians began to revere her as a goddess, and the dove became a sacred bird for them.

With the death of Alexander the Great, his empire instantly crumbled, pulled to pieces by arrogant commanders. And Babylon did not have to become the capital of the world again. He became sick, life gradually left him. The flood destroyed the palace of Nebuchadnezzar, the bricks of the hastily built gardens were not burned enough, high columns collapsed, platforms and stairs collapsed.

Back in the last century, the German traveler I. Pfeifer in her travel notes described that she saw “on the ruins of El-Kasr one forgotten tree from the cone-bearing family, completely unknown in these parts. The Arabs call it atal and revere it sacred. The most amazing stories are told about this tree (as if it were left from hanging gardens) and they assure that they heard sad, plaintive sounds in its branches when a strong wind blows.

Today, guides in Babylon point to one of the clay brown hills, stuffed, like all the hills of Babylon, with fragments of bricks and fragments of tiles, as if they were the remains of the gardens of Babylon.

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC), in order to fight against the main enemy - Assyria, whose troops twice destroyed the capital of the state of Babylon, entered into a military alliance with Cyaxares, the king of Media.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Having won, they divided the territory of Assyria among themselves. Their military alliance was confirmed by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar II to the daughter of the Median king Amitis. Dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a bare sandy plain, did not please the queen, who grew up in the mountainous and green Media. To console her, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the erection of hanging gardens.

The gardens existed for two centuries

Hanging gardens existed for about two centuries. First, they stopped caring for the garden, then powerful floods destroyed the foundations of the columns, and the entire structure collapsed.

The second wonder of the world - the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The second of the seven wonders of the world of the ancient world is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, also called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Unfortunately, this beautiful creation no longer exists, but disputes about it continue to this day.

In the 6th century BC, Nebuchadnezzar II (King of Babylon) ordered the construction of marvelous gardens, which he dedicated to his wife Amitis. She was a Median princess and was very homesick in the noisy and dusty Babylon, as she was used to the green hills and the native aromas of the gardens. In order to please his beloved wife, Nebuchadnezzar decided to create gardens of unprecedented beauty that could glorify him throughout the world.

However, the idea of ​​​​creating flowering green hills in the middle of the dry plain of Babylon may have seemed just a fantasy. Despite this, the amazing gardens of Eden were still built.

Description of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon looked like a pyramid, and consisted of four tiers, which were both protruding balconies and terraces. The tiers were held thanks to 25-meter columns. Each of them was planted with unsurpassed plants (flowers, grass, trees and shrubs). Seedlings and seeds were brought to Babylon from all over the world. Outwardly, the pyramid looked like a flowering evergreen hill.

Irrigation system for the gardens of Babylon
The irrigation system in those days seemed very strange. There were pipes in the cavity of one column. Several hundred slaves round the clock rotated a wheel with buckets made of leather to raise water, this is how water from the river got into the gardens.

Wonderful gardens with interesting trees, various flowers and pleasant cool air in stuffy and hot Babylon were considered a true wonder of the world. They could be called a real monument, which was created in the name of love.

The descendants of Queen Aimitis, it is not clear for what reason, began to call the name of the famous Queen of Assyria Semiramis, after whom the amazing gardens were called. It is for this reason that the Hanging Gardens got their name.

Residence of Alexander the Great

In the 9th century BC, Alexander the Great was captivated by the splendor of Babylon, which is why he turned this palace into a residence. His favorite pastime was relaxing in the shade of the gardens. Only here he could immerse himself in the memories of his native Macedonia. The throne room of the palace and the chambers of the lower tier of the hanging gardens became the last place of Alexander's stay on earth, from where he began his journey to immortality...

When the city began to desert, there was simply no one to supply water to the gardens. Thus, over time, all the plants dried up, and earthquakes completely destroyed the palace.

Simultaneously with Babylon, one of the most beautiful wonders of the world, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, also disappeared.

The ruins of Ancient Babylon are located 90 km from Baghdad. The city ceased to exist long ago, but even today the ruins testify to its grandeur. In the 7th century BC. Babylon was the largest and richest city of the Ancient East. There were many amazing buildings in Babylon, but the hanging gardens of the royal palace were most striking - gardens that have become a legend.

The second of the seven wonders of the world of the ancient world is the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which is also known as the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Unfortunately, this beautiful creation no longer exists, but disputes about it continue to this day.

The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, whose reign fell between 605 and 562. BC, famous not only for the capture of Jerusalem and the creation Tower of Babel, but also by the fact that he gave his beloved wife an expensive and unusual gift. By royal order, a palace-garden was created in the center of the capital, which was later called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Deciding to marry, Nebuchadnezzar II chose a bride - the beautiful Nitocrida, the daughter of the king of Media, with whom he was in allied relations. According to other sources, the queen's name was Amitis.

The king and his young wife settled in Babylon. Nitocride, accustomed to life among the forest thickets and lush vegetation, quickly became unbearable in the dull landscape around the palace. In the city - gray sand, darkened buildings, dusty streets, and outside the city gates - the endless desert brought the queen to melancholy. The ruler, noticing the sadness in the eyes of his beloved wife, inquired about the reason. Nitokrida expressed her desire to be at home, to take a walk in her beloved forest, to enjoy the smell of flowers and the singing of birds. Then Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of a palace, which would be turned into a garden.

The construction of the palace proceeded at a rapid pace. The queen watched the progress of the work. On the 25-meter supports, the slaves laid stone slabs, and low walls were installed on the sides. The stone floor from above was filled with mountain tar and bitumen, and lead sheets were laid on top. The palace was created by ledges. On extensive terraces, connected by stairs made of pink and white stone, fertile earth was poured. It is not known exactly how many tiers were supposed to be made in the palace, but up to now information has reached about four.

Planting material - flowers, trees and shrubs - was brought from Mussels and planted in the ground. Water for irrigation was brought by slaves from the Euphrates. On the tiers, special lifts were arranged with leather buckets attached to them, necessary for supplying water. Nests were made in the trees for songbirds.

Ancient chronicles testify that a wonderful castle with green spaces and bright flowers towered over the city walls and was perfectly visible from the desert valley of Mesopotamia for many kilometers. Historical chronicles did not retain information about the later life of Queen Nitocrida. But another Assyrian queen Semiramis (in Assyrian - Shammuramat), whose reign fell on the 9th century BC, gained great fame. e., i.e. much earlier than Nebuchadnezzar II, but which gave its name to the Hanging Gardens.

According to legend, as a reward for love, Semiramis asked King Nin to give her power for three days. The king fulfilled her desire, but Semiramis immediately ordered the guards to seize Nin and execute her, which was done. So she got unlimited power. In the future, she waged wars with neighboring kingdoms, and when her life came to an end, she flew away from the royal palace, turning into a dove. This legend in the 5th century, during the time of Herodotus, was intertwined with stories about the Hanging Gardens due to the mistakes of travelers, which led to the appearance of the name - Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

After Nebuchadnezzar II, Babylon was captured by the Persians, later passed into the hands of Alexander the Great, who wanted to make the city the capital of the empire, but died suddenly. Gradually the city fell into oblivion. Royal Palace was destroyed by the wind and the overflowing waters of the Euphrates almost completely. But the German archaeologist Robert Coldway excavated and studied the records of historians Ancient Greece, thanks to which the world learned about the Hanging Gardens and the Tower of Babel.

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Hanging Gardens of Babylon- one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A more correct name for this structure is the Hanging Gardens of Amitis (according to other sources - Amanis): that was the name of the wife of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, for whose sake the gardens were created. . Presumably located in the ancient city-state of Babylon, near the modern city of Hilla.

History of appearance

Having won, they divided the territory of Assyria among themselves. Their military alliance was confirmed by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar II to the daughter of the Median king Amitis. Dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a bare sandy plain, did not please the queen, who grew up in mountainous and green Media. To console her, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the erection of hanging gardens.

Hanging gardens existed for about two centuries. When Semiramis died, they first stopped caring for the garden, then powerful floods destroyed the foundation of the columns, and the whole structure collapsed.

Device

In architectural terms, the Hanging Gardens were a pyramid, consisting of four tiers-platforms. They were supported by columns up to 25 meters high. The lower tier had the shape of an irregular quadrangle, the largest side of which was 42 m, the smallest - 34 m. All plants were brought from Media.

To prevent seepage of irrigation water, the surface of each platform was first covered with a layer of reeds; fertile land lay on it with a thick carpet, where seeds of various herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees were planted.

The pyramid looked like an evergreen hill. Pipes were placed in the cavity of one of the columns. Day and night, hundreds of slaves turned the lifting wheel with leather buckets, supplying water to the gardens. Magnificent gardens with rare trees, fragrant flowers and coolness in sultry Babylonia were truly a wonder of the world. But during the Persian domination, the palace of Nebuchadnezzar fell into disrepair. It had 172 rooms, decorated and furnished with luxury. Now the Persian kings occasionally stopped in it during inspection trips across the vast empire. But in the fourth century B.C. e. this palace became the residence of Alexander the Great. The throne room of the palace and the chambers of the lower tier of the hanging gardens were Alexander's last place on earth.

Name

Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)

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See what the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" is in other dictionaries:

HANGING GARDENS OF SEMIRAMIS, gardens in the palace of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (see NBUCHADONOSOR II) (605 562 BC), which he ordered to be laid out for his beloved wife, the Median princess; traditionally ranked among the Seven Wonders of the World (see SEVEN ... ... encyclopedic Dictionary

Hanging Gardens of Babylon 3B k.s. (Falcon)- R0–R1: 45m, 5s. Tree insurance + own. Station under a tree with a double loop of the main rope, or lower on a pine tree. R1–R2: 45m, 6b or A2. Own insurance. Friends of large numbers will make life much easier. At the end of the rope, before going to ... ... Tourist Encyclopedia

Semiramis is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Contents 1 History of appearance 2 Architecture and device 3 Name ... Wikipedia

The Hanging Gardens in Russia are architectural structures based on the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo. Moscow Upper and Lower Garden In 1623 the Upper Hanging Garden was built in the Kremlin. Located nearby ... ... Wikipedia

Gardens of Babylon- bookstore something marvelous, magnificent, wonderful. Semiramis is the legendary Assyrian queen. Greek historians (Diodorus and others) say that she built "hanging gardens" in Babylon; these gardens ancient world considered one of the seven wonders of the world ... Phraseology Handbook

Book. What l. splendid, beautiful, marvelous. /i> Assyrian Queen Semiramis built "hanging gardens" in Babylon, which were considered one of the seven wonders of the world. BMS 1998, 511 … Big Dictionary Russian sayings

hanging gardens- Semiramis in Babylon, one of the seven wonders of the world ... Dictionary of antiquity

hanging gardens- gardens, arranged above ground level on special. erected terraces, vaults or inside the walls of the building; in the latter case, it should be distinguished from winter gardens located in rooms, that is, closed on all sides, V.S., even houses enclosed by walls, ... ... Russian humanitarian encyclopedic dictionary

Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Early 20th century reconstruction of Semiramis (Greek: Σεμίραμις, Shammuramat, Shamiram) legendary queen Assyria, the wife of the legendary king Nina, who killed him by cunning and seized power. The historical prototype of Semiramis ... Wikipedia

- "Falling" gardens of Isola Bella Hanging garden architectural structure, a small garden located on the roof ... Wikipedia

Books

• Green nature of the city. Volume 5. Study Guide, Gorokhov Vladislav Andreevich. Volume V study guide"Green Nature of the City" is dedicated to the gardens and parks of Asia - the largest part of the world both in terms of territory and number - 4.5 billion people live here (2017 ...

Historians are still debating whether they actually existed. And if they existed, when and by whom were they built?

According to the main version, they were built around the 6th century BC in Ancient Babylon by order of King Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife Amitis (Amanis). Amitis was the daughter of Cyaxares, king of Media. Having become the queen of dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a bare sandy plain, Amitis missed her homeland - mountainous and green Media. Noticing this Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of a small tropical garden in which his wife could feel at home. Creating a garden in an arid valley is no easy task. The most experienced architects, scientists and builders got down to business. In the end, it really turned out miracle.

looked like fabulous oasis in the middle of the desert. According to the description, it was a large multi-level stepped building with tall white columns, complex system irrigation and numerous diverse plants.

Amitis found her happiness in this paradise. According to legend, she spent all her time here and looked after every plant. But after the death of Amitis, no one took care of the gardens, they fell into disrepair, and later completely collapsed.

Why Amitis gardens called the Hanging Gardens of Babylon?

The name "" appeared due to another, less plausible, legend linking the creation of this miracle with the Assyrian queen Semiramis. Therefore, historians often use the more correct name "". Word "hanging" describes plants hanging from the upper levels of the gardens. Also, this word in the title can be explained by the fact that from afar in the desert, the gardens looked like a mirage floating in the air.

Video Seven Wonders of the World: The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Where to look ?

Archaeologists are trying to discover and identify the remains of the Hanging Gardens among the ruins of Ancient Babylon near a modern Iraqi city. Hilla. According to an alternative version, the ruins of this miracle should be found near the modern city Mosul where it used to be Nineveh — capital of the Assyrian state.

Probable location of the ruins of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon
on Iraq map

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