The center of the Babylonian Dynasty, Babylon was known as the land of Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar. In the 19th century archaeologists made off with some of Babylon’s most prized treasures, including the Ishtar Gate and the giant stone slab on which King Hammurabi’s 4,000-year-old code of law was written. Then during the reign of Saddam Hussein the ancient cradle of civilization was turned into a theme park, which entailed paving original walkways, adding buildings and inscribing the former dictator’s name on historic walls.

 

Most recently, the U.S. military contributed to the erosion of Babylon following the Iraq invasion in 2003, driving heavy machinery over sacred paths, bulldozing hilltops and digging trenches. Embattled contractor KBR Inc. was singled out in a new U.N. report that said the former Halliburton subsidiary “caused major damage to the city by digging, cutting, scraping, and leveling.”

 

The report was produced the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which hopes to declare Babylon a World Heritage site and strengthen international conventions to prevent any further damage to the 4,000-year-old city.

 

The U.S. State Department has allocated $700,000 to develop a program aimed at balancing tourism and archaeology at Babylon.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

UNESCO: Invasion Seriously Harmed Historic Babylon (by Kim Gamel, Associated Press)

“Future of Babylon” Project Preserves History to Some, Ushers in “End Times” to Others (by Bill Berkowitz, Religion Dispatches)

Final Report on Damage Assessment in Babylon (International Coordination Committee for the Saveguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq) (PDF)