It was part of a grand walled processional way leading into the city. The walls were finished in glazed bricks mostly in blue, with animals and deities in low relief at intervals, these also made up of bricks that are molded and colored differently.

The Ishtar Gate evolved from early ceremonial gateways mentioned in Old Babylonian texts (~1600 BCE) to mudbrick double gates under Nabopolassar and early Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar II transformed the gate through successive baked-brick reconstructions, progressively raising its platform and embellishing it with reliefs and, ultimately, blue-glazed bricks. The gate’s repeated rebuilding phases, closely integrated with the Street of Procession and palace expansions, underscore its dual function as a defensive, ceremonial, and symbolic centerpiece of Neo-Babylonian period of ancient Babylon.

The principal entrance to the city, the Ishtar Gate was designed to make a big impression. It was built over earlier structures erected during the reign of Nebuchadrezzar II’s father, King Nabopolassar (reigned 626-605 BCE) and earlier. As the main gateway to the city, its function was to awe visitors with the power and grandeur of Nebuchadrezzar’s restoration.

King Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of the gate and dedicated it to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. The gate was constructed using glazed brick with alternating rows of bas-relief mušḫuššu (dragons), aurochs (bulls), and lions, symbolizing the gods Marduk, Adad, and Ishtar respectively. The gate, being part of the Walls of Babylon, was considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. It was replaced on that list by the Lighthouse of Alexandria from the third century BCE.

circa 1600- 575 BCE

Earliest References
The earliest mentions of the Ishtar Gate appear in Old Babylonian cuneiform texts around 1600 BCE, suggesting that a major northern entrance to historic city of Babylon existed from this period. While no material evidence survives from these early constructions, textual records indicate that the site served both ceremonial and protective purposes, forming part of the fortifications of the inner city.

Pre-Nebuchadnezzar Gate
By the late 7th century BCE, during the reign of Nabopolassar and the early years of Nebuchadnezzar II, the Ishtar Gate existed as a standard double city gate built of unbaked mudbrick, like the surrounding double walls and the other seven gates of Babylon. The Street of Procession passed directly through the gate at street level, and the structure served primarily as a defensive threshold while accommodating religious and civic ceremonies. Minor repairs and rebuildings were carried out, but the gate remained relatively modest in scale and decoration.

Early Nebuchadnezzarian Rebuilding
At the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar II’s reign, the gate underwent its first major reconstruction. The mudbrick structure was dismantled and replaced with a double gate of baked brick, reinforced with tar or asphalt for stability. Reliefs of bulls and dragons were added to the facades, facing incoming visitors as symbolic protectors. The quay walls around the palace and the gate were also rebuilt, and additional towers were constructed, linking the gate with an expanding palace complex. The Street of Procession at this stage remained at the original flat surface.

Middle Phases
During the middle decades of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, the Ishtar Gate and the Street of Procession were repeatedly elevated as part of ongoing urban and ceremonial projects. At successive stages, the gate was rebuilt on higher platforms, with each elevation requiring the partial or total demolition of the superstructure above the new infill. Reliefs of bulls and dragons were retained on each new level, and unglazed brick facades gradually gave way to more decorative elements. The gate’s repeated reconstruction reflected the integration of the palace, street, and ceremonial route, as well as adaptation to rising street levels and urban expansion.

Final Glazed Phase
In the latter part of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar completed the monumental glazed-brick version of the Ishtar Gate. The gate now stood on the highest platform, approximately fifteen meters above the lowest original level, forming a prominent ceremonial entrance along the elevated Street of Procession. The facades were clad in deep blue glazed bricks with alternating reliefs of bulls and dragons, while lion reliefs adorned adjacent walls in the palace area. Copper representations of bulls and dragons may have decorated the doorframes, and a north gate protected the newly glazed section of the street. The total length of the gate reached fifty meters, with the front and main gates separated by a four-meter interval. These final modifications emphasized both ceremonial grandeur and defensive function, creating the iconic monument celebrated in modern archaeological reconstructions.

circa 575 BCE

Pergamon Reconstruction
A reconstruction of the reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate and the adjacent Processional Way was erected at the Pergamon Museum in Berlin, utilizing materials excavated by Robert Koldewey during his extensive early twentieth-century campaigns at Babylon. Completed in the 1930s, the reconstruction incorporates a carefully preserved inscription plaque, providing visitors with an authentic sense of the gate’s monumental and ceremonial character. The reconstructed segment (illustration) stands approximately 14 meters (46 feet) in height and 30 meters (100 feet) in width, offering a striking impression of the scale and decorative sophistication of the original Neo-Babylonian architecture.

It is important to note, however, that the Pergamon reconstruction represents only a partial segment of the original Ishtar Gate. The historical structure was a double gate, consisting of a smaller frontal gate and a substantially larger posterior section that aligned with the main city walls. The museum’s display preserves primarily the smaller frontal portion, while the grander secondary section, which featured more elaborate reliefs and a more complex architectural arrangement, remains in situ at Babylon or has been lost to time. Consequently, the reconstruction provides a selective, yet highly informative, representation of Nebuchadnezzar II’s architectural and artistic vision, rather than a complete replication of the gate’s full original scale and configuration.

circa 575 BCE

In-situ Babylon Remains
At the site of the ancient city of Babylon, known today as Babil, only the lower parts of the Ishtar Gate remain in situ, reflecting the original foundations and partial wall structures of this monumental entrance. The gate’s decoration was dedicated entirely to the divine, featuring alternating rows of bas-relief figures that included mušḫuššu (dragons), aurochs (bulls), and lions, symbolically representing the gods Marduk, Adad, and Ishtar respectively. These reliefs were carefully arranged along the gate’s façade to convey both religious significance and protective authority, creating an imposing visual narrative for visitors and processions entering the city.

The total length of the gate in antiquity extended approximately 45 meters from north to south, forming a prominent segment of the city’s fortifications and ceremonial infrastructure. While substantial portions of the Ishtar Gate and many of the lion reliefs from the adjacent Processional Way were removed during early twentieth-century excavations, they are now dispersed across several museums worldwide. These surviving fragments, along with the remaining in-situ structures at Babil, provide critical material evidence for understanding Neo-Babylonian architectural practice, decorative programs, and the symbolic articulation of divine authority in the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II.

circa 575 BCE

Northern Gate
The Nebuchadnezzar period northern gate was situated at the northern terminus of the Street of the Processions, and was built to protect the glazed-brick section of the street. Today only lower parts of once a magnificient structure remain. Whether or not such a North Gate had also existed for periods before the last two levels of Nebuchadnezzar remains unknown. If so, it would have been closer to the Ishtar Gate where no excavations have been carried out below the currently exposed Street of Procession

circa 575 BCE

Gate Complex
The Ishtar Gate was only one small part of the design of ancient Babylon that also included the palace, temples, an inner fortress, walls, gardens, processional routes, and other gates. The lavish city was decorated with over fifteen million baked bricks, according to estimates. Most notable of these structures are Street of the Processions, Ninmakh Temple, and the city walls.

circa 575 BCE

Street of the Processions
Through the gate ran the Processional Street, which was lined with walls showing about 120 lions, bulls, dragons, and flowers on enameled yellow and black glazed bricks, symbolizing the goddess Ishtar. The Processional Way, which has been traced to a length of over half a mile, extended north from the Ishtar Gate. Friezes with sixty ferocious lions representing Ishtar decorated each side of the Processional Way, designed with variations in the color of the fur and the manes. The Processional Way was paved with large stone pieces set in a bed of bitumen and was up to 66 feet wide at some points.

circa 575 BCE

Ninmah Temple
Several important buildings stood around the Ishtar gate, including the Ninmakh Temple to the south-east. The E-mah (great temple of Ninḫursaĝ) as seen from the west, looking over the Ishtar Gate in the bottom foreground. Currently the walls and roofs of the temple are in a very bad condition and no recent renovations have been done. Due to its use as military base by US the site has suffered extensive damage, according to a study by the British Museum, the damage was extensive: some 300,000 sq m (4,000 acres) was covered with gravel.

circa 575 BCE

Replica Ishtar Gate
A replica of the Ishtar Gate was installed some 250 meters north of the ancient gateway to the city of Babylon. It is located at the entrance to the Nebuchadnezzar Museum. It is a very simplified model of the original ancient Ishtar Gate, and is not to scale. The construction was meant to emulate the techniques that were used for the original gate. The purpose of the replica's construction was an attempt to reconnect to Iraq's history. Damage to this reproduction has occurred since the US-Iraq War, specially due to the use of this area by the US military as a camp.

circa 1897-99 CE

The Ishtar Gate was discovered, subsequently excavated and reconstructed in the Pergamon Museum, in 1902 CEby a German archaeologist named Robert Koldewey. Koldewey was leading an excavation in the ancient city of Babylon, which is located in present-day Iraq, when he came across the ruins of the gate.

Koldewey's team spent several years excavating the gate and other parts of Babylon, uncovering a wealth of information about the ancient city and its culture. The discovery of the Ishtar Gate was particularly significant, as it provided a glimpse into the art and architecture of ancient Babylon, and helped to confirm the historical accuracy of the biblical accounts of Babylonian history.

circa 2020 CE

Google Arts & Culture
In an effort to illustrate this ancient site in a new way, the Staatlichen Museen zu Berlin and Google Arts & Culture have virtually reassembled Ishtar Gate (inspect), in its original location. This work of this project illustrates how the ancient landmark would have looked like before it was parted.