Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate was a monumental entrance to ancient Babylon, built under Nebuchadnezzar II and decorated with glazed blue bricks and reliefs of animals sacred to Babylonian gods.

Babylon: Babylon was an ancient Mesopotamian city on the Euphrates, capital of the Babylonian Empire. The gate formed part of Babylon’s monumental northern processional route.
Processional Way of Babylon: The Processional Way was Babylon’s ceremonial avenue, connecting the city’s northern entrance with its central religious precinct. The gate stood at the avenue’s entrance, framing ceremonial movement into the city.
Ishtar: Ishtar was a Mesopotamian goddess associated with love, war, and political power. The gate was named for this goddess, whose symbol was the lion.
Robert Koldewey: Robert Koldewey was a German archaeologist who directed excavations at Babylon from 1899 to 1917. His excavations uncovered the gate and its processional avenue.
Cultural heritage repatriation: Cultural heritage repatriation is the return of cultural objects to their country or community of origin. The gate’s Berlin display has prompted debate about returning Babylonian antiquities to Iraq.
Nebuchadnezzar II: Nebuchadnezzar II ruled the Neo-Babylonian Empire from 605 to 562 BCE. He commissioned the gate during Babylon’s major rebuilding.
Relief: Relief is sculpture in which forms project from a supporting surface. The gate’s animals were modeled as raised figures on its brick surfaces.
Marduk: Marduk was Babylon’s chief god and a major deity of ancient Mesopotamia. The gate’s mušḫuššu dragons represented Marduk, Babylon’s patron deity.
Pergamon Museum: The Pergamon Museum in Berlin houses major collections of ancient Near Eastern art and architecture. Its reconstruction incorporates original glazed bricks from the Ishtar Gate.
Archaeological reconstruction: Archaeological reconstruction is the physical or visual rebuilding of structures from archaeological evidence. The Berlin installation rebuilds a partial gate from excavated fragments and modern additions.

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