With its deep-blue glazed bricks and long rows of lions and dragons, the Ishtar Gate remains one of the most iconic monuments of ancient Babylon. Now on display at Berlin’s Pergamon Museum, it offers a rare, tangible glimpse into Mesopotamian grandeur. In this post, I share a few reflections from finally seeing it in person — after years of reading about it — along with some context on how it ended up in Germany, and a brief note on the archaeological practices behind its removal.

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Construction and Symbolism of the Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate, constructed in the 6th century BCE during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, was one of the main entrances to the ancient city of Babylon (in present-day Iraq). Located on the northern side of the city, it was part of a grand complex of walls, gates, and palaces. Renowned for its striking design, the gate was dedicated to Ishtar, the Babylonian goddess of love, fertility, and war.

King Nebuchadnezzar II was a Babylonian king who ruled from 605–562 BCE. He is known for his military conquests, including the capture of Jerusalem and the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BCE. He is also remembered for his monumental building projects, such as the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Ishtar Gate was built using baked bricks in varying shades of blue, glazed to achieve a glossy finish, making it a visually striking structure. The intense blue color symbolized the divine realm, evoking the sky and the presence of the gods, and was meant to impress and overwhelm all who approached.

Constructed in the Babylonian architectural style, the gate featured a tall arched entrance flanked by towers, forming a monumental threshold to the inner city. Its surface was adorned with reliefs of dragons, lions, and bulls arranged in alternating rows. Each animal was molded separately and then affixed to the wall, showcasing the technical mastery of the artisans. These creatures were not decorative alone – they carried deep symbolic meaning: dragons represented Marduk, Babylon’s chief deity; lions were associated with Ishtar, the goddess to whom the gate was dedicated; and bulls symbolized Adad, the god of storms.

The construction process was highly complex, requiring skilled artisans proficient in brick-making and glazed tile-work. But beyond craftsmanship, the gate served as a political and religious statement – a bold declaration of royal power and divine favor. As people passed through it, often during ritual processions, they experienced not only the grandeur of architecture, but also the ideological core of the Babylonian empire: a world governed by gods, ruled by kings, and expressed in stone and fire-glazed brick.

Discovery and Reconstruction

The Ishtar Gate was rediscovered in the early 20th century by a team of German archaeologists led by Robert Koldewey. Koldewey had been excavating the site of Babylon since 1899, uncovering numerous significant structures and artifacts from the ancient city. In 1902, he began a targeted excavation to locate the Ishtar Gate, long known from ancient texts but yet to be identified.

After several months of work, his team uncovered part of the gate’s foundations, including fragments of its original blue-glazed bricks. Over the next few years, they carefully excavated and documented the remains, which proved to be in remarkably good condition, despite their age and centuries of exposure.

Eventually, the gate was dismantled and transported to Germany, where it was entrusted to a team of experts under the leadership of Wilhelm von Bode. The reconstruction process involved painstakingly fitting together thousands of pieces, including the glazed bricks and the intricately molded figures of animals and deities that once adorned the gate.

In 1930, the reconstructed Ishtar Gate was installed in the main hall of the Pergamon Museum in Berlin. Although the museum had not been built specifically for the gate, it provided an appropriately grand setting for this monumental artifact. The Pergamon Museum, originally established in the early 20th century to house the Prussian royal collections, had grown to include major archaeological finds from across the ancient world. The Ishtar Gate, acquired in the 1920s along with other treasures from Babylon, became one of its most iconic exhibits.

German Archaeology. Influence and Criticism

In the early 20th century, German archaeologists emerged as some of the most prominent and influential figures in the field. At the time, archaeology was still a developing discipline, and German scholars helped define the methodologies and techniques that continue to influence archaeological practice today.

Among the most notable figures was Heinrich Schliemann, known for his excavations at Troy and Mycenae, and Robert Koldewey, whose work in Babylon, particularly on the Ishtar Gate, became internationally recognized. Other influential archaeologists included Ernst Curtius, who excavated Olympia, and Hermann Thiersch, who worked at Pergamon. Their research was often state-supported, with backing from the German government, which viewed archaeology as a means to assert cultural and political influence abroad.

Central to these efforts was the German Oriental Society (Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft, or DOG), founded in 1898 in Berlin. Dedicated to the study of the Middle East and Central Asia, the DOG played a key role in organizing expeditions and publishing scholarly work that shaped the image of the ancient Near East in Europe. The Society also positioned Germany in direct competition with Britain and France, both of which were conducting their own large-scale excavations. This created an atmosphere in which archaeology became a form of soft power, used to reinforce national prestige through cultural discovery.

The work of German archaeologists in the early 20th century has been criticized for various reasons. One of the main criticisms is that they were motivated by nationalist and imperialist interests and used archaeology to support these agendas. For example, some archaeologists saw themselves as uncovering the roots of a supposed Aryan race and used their work to support Nazi ideology. Another criticism is that German archaeologists were often more interested in exporting artifacts back to Germany rather than preserving them in the country of origin. This led to the removal of many important artifacts from their original context, which made it difficult for subsequent generations of archaeologists to properly study and interpret them. Additionally, some scholars have criticized German archaeologists for practicing a top-down approach to archaeology, which prioritizes the study of elites and high culture rather than the experiences of ordinary people. This approach can result in a skewed understanding of the past, which ignores the perspectives and contributions of marginalized groups.

By the late 1970s, the Iraqi government expressed a desire to repatriate the Ishtar Gate and other artifacts from the Pergamon Museum. However, the request was not granted, due to concerns about the safety and preservation of the artifacts, as well as disputes over ownership and legal claims.

If you’re curious to see more from the Pergamon Museum, I’ve shared a photo gallery just below.