-1 101 Z The southern palace of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar called it "...the marvel of mankind, the centre of the land, the shining residence, the dwelling of majesty...". It contained five great courtyards surrounded by hundreds of rooms, including official residences, offices, storerooms and royal quarters. It was in this palace that Alexander the Great died, centuries later, in 323 BC.
# Palace of Nebuchadnezzar
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# IW Nebuchadnezzar
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# IW Ishtar Gate
2 101 x The palace straddled the city walls. The outer walls were 11 miles (18 km) long and were among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World described by the Greek historian Herodotus in the 5th century BC. He wrote that there was enough space on top for a four-horse chariot to turn around.
# City Walls
5 101 x The famous 'Hanging Gardens of Babylon' were considered among the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Their exact location is in doubt, but they were probably situated in the very north-east corner of the southern palace. Nebuchadnezzar is said to have built them for his Median wife, Amytis, to remind her of her mountain homeland.
# Hanging Gardens
9 102 I The throne room of Nebuchadnezzar was once decorated with facades of multicoloured glazed bricks. It was perhaps in this room that the famous story of 'Belshazzar's Feast' described in the Bible was set.
# Throne Room, Reconstruction of
11 101 x The original palace of Nabopolassar (625-605 BC), the founder of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty, was located around the Western and Annex courts. It was later used as a domestic wing of the main palace.
# Annex and western Courts
1 101 x On the far west of the palace, Nebuchadnezzar built a huge fortified citadel with walls 85 ft (25 m) thick. The thickness of the walls protected it against damp from the Euphrates river next to it.
# Southern Fortress
4 102 G The temple to the east of the palace was that of the mother-goddess, Ninmah. Seen here with the remains of the Ishtar gate in the foreground, it was a small temple (by Babylonian standards) with an excellent towered entrance chamber. The temple has recently been restored.
# Temple of Ninmah, Photo of Ninmah temple with Ishtar Gate in the foreground
