Featured

Restoring the Legendary Ishtar Gate: A Journey to Babylon’s Iconic Site



Published
Founded more than 4000 years ago on the banks of the Euphrates River, the ancient city of Babylon was once the capital of a vast, sophisticated empire. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s most important archeological sites.

By all accounts, the most iconic symbol of this legendary site is the great Ishtar Gate, a massive gateway towering over a grand processional way into the inner city. The gate’s once cobalt-blue bricks and yellow-glazed relief animals are instantly recognizable and can be admired in relics and reproductions across the world.

On September 15, 2022, we went behind the scenes of this exceptional site and learned about World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) years-long effort to maintain and restore the Ishtar Gate with WMF Program Director Jeff Allen; Ammar al-Taee, Archaeologist at the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage; and Dr. Helen Gries, Curator at the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin, Germany.
Category
Management
Be the first to comment