Synopsis:
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were the man made gardens of an ancient city Babylon of Iraq which is currently 94km southwest of current Baghdad(Capital of Iraq). A uniqueness of these gardens is not that they were man made but they were built on the Palace of the King, built by the King Nebuchadnezzar II for the pleasure of his homesick wife Amytis.
Some researchers question over the existence of the gardens of Babylon but those who agreed upon the existence of the gardens says, the hanging gardens were built around 600BC.
imagesource: userscontent2.emaze.com
Importance of the hanging Gardens of Babylon:
Hanging gardens of Babylon were not actually built in the 'hanging' way as the title suggest but they were built of simulated mountains with rooftop-gardens. Many terraces over the terraces were built and on every terrace there were different types of trees and flowers. These trees and flowers were grown up in columns(cell) and these columns were fulled with a dirt . And height of the columns were as large as big trees could grow up easily as their roots don't get stuck in the bottom of the columns. That's why these artificial gardens are in the list of 'seven wonders of an ancient world'.
Who was Amytis, for whom the gardens were built?:
Amytis was actually from Media(an ancient country of northwestern Iran), and got married with the king Nebuchadnezzar for a political ambitions. The main purpose of marriage was to keep alliance between Babylon and Media. Media was originally a lush state where mountains were green and everything looks exuberant there. While Babylon was not as lush as Media as there were lesser rain than Media so greenery wasn't a characteristics of Babylon. So when she came to Babylon she was homesick for her home which was very verdant and mountainous. The king Nebuchadnezzar decided to build a garden around his palace which gave a look of hanging gardens over the mountain.
Irrigation System for the Babylon's gardens:
Gardens were built on the terraces of palace where irrigation was a complex issue at that time because that time there was no facility of pump. But the gardens were built on the bank of the Euphrates river. It is said that there were two ways of irrigation at that time. One using the screw pump, getting the water from river and reaching to the top of palace.
imagesource: oliversalt.files.wordpress.com.
And other way of irrigating gardens could have using the chain bucket. As shown below in picture.
imagesource: unknown
Reign of Nebuchadnezzar & History :
imagesource: unmuseum.org
Reign of Nebuchadnezzar II ruled started from 605BC to 562BC. And it is said that the hanging gardens were built around 600BC. Although there are many questions over the existence of Babylon's gardens as there are no written proves in early books of history. These gardens were first described by the Berossus, a priest who lived in the fourth century BC, where he describes the gardens and attributes them to the king Nebuchadnezzar II.
Destruction of Babylonian's Empire :
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The Babylon Empire is ended when it was defeated by the Achaemenid Empire in 539 BC.
In the Battle of Opis which was fought in September 539 BC. between the armies of Persian under Cyrus the Great and the Babylonian Empire under Nabonidu and It ended in a decisive victory for the Persians.
That was the history of the hanging gardens of the Babylon. If you have any query or suggestion, tell me in comment Box. Thanks for reading.. keep supporting
Written By:
Muhammad Ahsan Ayaz Khan