The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II (605 - 562 BC) to fight against the main enemy - Assyria, whose troops twice destroyed the capital of the state Babylon, signed a military Alliance with Caxaro, king Mussels. After that victory, they divided the territory of Assyria between them. The military Alliance was strengthened by the marriage of Nebuchadnezzar II, the daughter of the king of the Medes and Others.

Place:

Eastern Bank of the Euphrates river, about 50 km South of Baghdad, Iraq.

History:

Dusty and noisy Babylon, located on the bare sandy plain, did not please the Queen, who grew up in mountainous and green Mussels. To comfort her, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the construction of “hanging gardens”.

While most accurate information about the Gardens come from Greek historians, for example, from Verossa and Diodorus, but the description Gardens is very scarce. Here is how the gardens in their records: " Garden - quadrangular, and each side of it - four pletra long. It consists of arched vaults, which are arranged in staggered like cubic grounds. The ascent to the upper terrace is possible stairs..." Manuscripts same time Nebuchadnezzar not have a single reference to the Hanging Gardens, although they contain descriptions of the Palace of Babylon. Even historians who give detailed descriptions of the Hanging Gardens, never seen them.

Modern historians argue that when the soldiers of Alexander the great, reached the fertile lands of Mesopotamia and saw Babylon, they were amazed. After going to their wear-resistant home, they reported the amazing gardens and trees of Mesopotamia, the Palace of Nebuchadnezzar, about the tower of Babel and the ziggurats. This gave gave food to the imagination of poets and ancient historians who confused all of these stories into one, to make one of the seven Wonders of the world.

In the architectural plan of the Hanging Gardens were a pyramid, consisting of four tiers platforms were supported by columns at a height of 25 M. the Lower tier was in the form of an irregular quadrangle, longest side of which was 42 m, the lowest - 34 PM to prevent the infiltration of irrigation water, the surface of each platform is first covered with a layer of reeds mixed with asphalt, and then two layers of bricks, sealed plaster solution, above all fit lead plates. They thick carpet lay fertile land, which were planted seeds of different herbs, flowers, shrubs and trees. Pyramid reminded forever blooming green hill.

In the cavity of one of the pillars were placed pipes, the water from the Euphrates, pumps, day and night were submitted to the upper tier gardens, where she come from, flowing streams and small waterfalls, watered the plants of lower tiers. Miracle seemed the murmur of water, shade and coolness among the trees brought from distant Mussels.

In 331 BC the armies of Alexander the great conquered Babylon. A famous commander made the city the capital of his vast Empire. It is here, in the shadow Hanging Gardens he died in 339 BC After the death of Alexander Babylon gradually fell into decay. The gardens were in disrepair. Powerful floods destroyed brick foundations of the pillars of the platform collapsed to the ground. So killed one of the wonders of the world.

The twentieth century opened up some of the mystery surrounding the legend of Hanging Gardens. Archaeologists are still trying to gather enough evidence before to make the final conclusions about the location of the Gardens, irrigation system, and about istinnyh the reasons for their poyavleniya.

The only trace of the once grandiose monument of engineering currently - open excavations Robert Koldewey in 1898 a network of intersecting trenches near the Iraqi town of Hilla (90 km South of Baghdad), sections of which are still visible traces of crumbling masonry.