Babylon was one of the most important cities of the ancient world, whose location today is marked by a broad area of ruins just east of the Euphrates River, 90 km (56 mi) south of Baghdad, Iraq.
It has been estimated that Babylon was the largest city in the world from c. 1770 to 1670 BC, and again between c. 612 and 320 BC. It was perhaps the first city to reach a population above 200,000.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) are considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. They were supposedly built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BC .
According to accounts, the gardens were built to cheer up Nebuchadnezzar's homesick wife, Amyitis.
The Hanging Gardens probably did not really "hang" in the sense of being suspended from cables or ropes. The name comes from an inexact translation of the Greek word kremastos or the Latin word pensilis, which means not just "hanging” but "overhanging," as in the case of a terrace or balcony.
