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Art of the Ancient World, C. 5000 B.c.e.–400 C.E.

Art of the Ancient Near East

What is the Ishtar Gate?

The Ishtar Gate was a Neo-Babylonian, double-arched gateway with four towers, each featuring notched walls known as crenellations. The Ishtar Gate was originally over forty feet tall, and the towers rose to nearly one hundred feet. The deep blue brick structure was decorated with stylized lions and palm trees—an impressive fortification indeed. The monumental gate mirrored the wealth and extravagance of other Babylonian structures such as the Hanging Gardens, which was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate has been installed in a museum in Berlin, Germany.



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