Department of Architecture

College of Environmental Design

King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals

Module 3: Architecture of the Ancient Near East

 

 

Neo Babylonian architecture

Introduction

After the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC, and the end of the Assyrian civilization, the focus of Mesopotamian civilization returned to Babylon, where a new dynasty of kings, including Nebuchadnezzer revived the old Babylonian culture to create a Neo-Babylonian civilization. Much rebuilding took place in the old Sumerian cities, while the capital itself was enormously enlarged, heavily fortified and adorned with magnificent new buildings. Here the traditional style of building of architecture reached its zenith and was enhanced by a new form of façade ornament consisting of figured designs in colored glazed brick work.

 

The city

The city of Babylon is shaped in the form of a quadrangle sitting and pierced by the Euphrates River. The city was surrounded by a double fortification wall, with projecting towers and a large moat that can be navigated. The wall and moat had a total length of five and a quarter mile. The city had a palace, Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, at the northern apex of the outer wall from where a procession street that is raised above the ground originated and approach the entrance to the city through the famous Ishtar gate. The Ishtar gate is built to sit on the double walls of the city and has two pairs of towers. The facades of gateways and of adjoining streets were faced with blue glazed bricks and ornamented with figures of armor bearing animals- lions, bulls, and dragons, modeled in relief and glazed in different colors. The city of Babylon had many prominent buildings including Nebuchadnezzar’s palace, several temples, and the tower of Babel. None of the buildings of the Neo-Babylonian civilization has survived to the present.  

 

Architecture

Not much is left of the architecture of Babylon for us to study or learn from. The Ishtar gate, which is the only ruins that has survived, was removed to Germany and reconstructed in the Berlin museum. It is however asserted that of the palaces built in the ancient Near East, the most important was that of Nebuchadnezzar. It was massive, estimated to cover a land area of 900 by 600ft, and planned around five successive courtyards. It had administrative offices, barracks, the kings harem, his private apartment arranged around the five courtyards. The palace is praised by ancient historians for its hanging garden, which is regarded as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It is however difficult to tell whether the hanging garden is just legend or it actually existed.