Ancient city of Babylon

Babylon was founded by a group of rebellious descendants of Noah approximately 100 years after the great flood. Babylon was a hotbed of idolatry and false religion.

From about 2000 to 500 BC Babylon was the capital of the Babylonian Empire and a major center of religion and trade.

Around 1900 Semitic peoples, possibly known as the Amorites, migrate into Mesopotamian and capture the city-state of Babylon.

It was also the site of the legendary Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

During the 1700 BC, Babylon had been the center of large empire under King Hammurabi, the sixth Amorite king of Babylon.

Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rulers of the ancient world, Hammurabi is thought to have come to the throne of Babylon in about 1792 BC.  Hammurabi’s capital was protected by strong walls.

The last king of the Old Babylonian Empire, Samsuditana, is over thrown by Hittite invaders.

Then, in the 7th century BC, the Assyrians captured and sacked the city.

It was not until the Babylonian general Nabopolassar defeated the Assyrians in 626 BC. By 600 BC, Nabopolassar son’s King Nebuchadnezzar had fashioned Babylon into the pagan empire of Babylonia, a center of religion, commerce, and government.

He rebuilt the capital and transformed it into the finest city in the ancient Middle East.

There is a romantic legend that the Hanging Gardens were built for Nebuchadnezzar’s wife, Amytis, a Mede who missed the green mountain.

Babylonia may have been the most powerful monarchy in the history of the world.

Babylon fell in one night to the armies of Cyrus the Persian in 539 BC and ceased to be a world power.
Ancient city of Babylon

City of Babylon

The name Babylonia is derived from its capital city. Its old name was Kaldu, the people were called Kaldai, i.e. Kasdim of the Old Test Testament.

Babylon appears to have been founded a short time after the flood of Noah and about 2234 years before Christ. It was said that Nimrod laid the foundation of the city and of the kingdom of Babylon.

Nimrod was the son of Cush, grandson of Ham, and great grandson of Noah.

The oldest unambiguous attestation of Babylon is dated to the reign of the Old Akkadian king Sar-kali-sarri (around 2200 BC).

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Babylon means, then’ ‘the gate of God’. Babylon was situated upon the River Euphrates, above Borsippa. 

During 18th century BC when Hammurabi was king, the city became a real territorial empire encompassing the whole of Mesopotamia after victories against Larsa, Esnunna, Assur and Mari.

The Assyria, who came from northern Mesopotamia, became the most powerful force in Mesopotamia in about 800 BC, conquering Babylon and adopting a large part of their culture.

The conquest of Nineveh and the overthrow of the Assyrian Empire were affected about 625 BC by Cyaxeres the Mede, and his ally Nabopolassar, the rebellious governor of Babylon, enabling the latter to found the Babylonian Empire.
City of Babylon