Bible Synapse
Ishtar Gate
Site · early 6th century BC · Assyria and Babylon · also called Ishtar Gate of Babylon, Processional Way of Babylon
See it on the map and timeline
- Date
- early 6th century BC (the building of the gate under Nebuchadnezzar II)
- Found
- Babylon, Iraq. Excavated by Robert Koldewey’s German expedition in the early 20th century. The glazed bricks were taken to Berlin, where the smaller front gate and part of the Processional Way were rebuilt after the First World War. Other panels are in museums around the world.
- Now
- Pergamonmuseum (Vorderasiatisches Museum), Berlin
- Passages
- Daniel 4:29–30, Jeremiah 51:58
What it is
The great north gate of Babylon’s inner city, built by Nebuchadnezzar II and dedicated to the goddess Ishtar. Its walls were faced with blue-glazed bricks bearing rows of dragons (the beast of Marduk) and bulls (the beast of Adad) in low relief, and a long inscription of the king; the Processional Way leading up to it was lined with lions. The reconstruction in Berlin has been closed for renovation since October 2023, and the museum expects to reopen that wing in 2037.
How it connects to the Bible
The gate was built by the king who took Jerusalem and carried its people into exile. Daniel portrays him walking in his palace and boasting, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built” (Daniel 4:30). Jeremiah foretold that “her high gates shall be burned with fire” (Jeremiah 51:58).