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The Hanging Garden of Babylon is one of the seven wonders of the world. It was built by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Kingdom of Babylon in the 6th century BC in the city of Babylon for her homesick princess, Amyitis. The aerial garden adopts the three-dimensional gardening method. The garden is placed on a four-floor platform, which is built of asphalt and bricks. The platform is supported by a 25-meter-high column, and has an irrigation system. The slave keeps pushing the handle connected with the gear to convey water to the garden. Various flowers and trees are planted in the garden, which looks like a garden hanging in the air from a distance.
For thousands of years, there is a beautiful and moving legend about "Sky Garden". Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC), king of New Babylon, married Amitis, the princess of Midi, as queen. The princess is beautiful and charming, and is deeply loved by the king. But as time went on, the princess's sad face grew. Nebuchadnezzar did not know why. The princess said, "My hometown is full of lush mountains and flowers. Here is the endless Babylonian Plain. I can't find even a small hill. How I long to see the mountains and winding paths in our hometown again!" The princess was homesick. Therefore, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the artisan to build a cascade of terraced gardens in his palace according to the scenery of the Midi Mountains, which were covered with exotic flowers and plants, and opened a quiet mountain path in the garden, with rippling water beside the path. The craftsmen also built a city tower in the middle of the garden, which stood in the air. The exquisite landscape of the garden finally won the princess's favor.
The total perimeter of the Hanging Garden in Babylon is more than 500 meters. It is built on a high platform by using three-dimensional gardening method. The rockery is piled up layer by layer with stone columns and slabs, reaching to the sky. From a distance, the garden looks like it is in the sky. The rockery is divided into three layers, each of which is supported by large stone columns and covered with pavilions. In order to prevent water seepage, each layer is paved with a wicker mat soaked with tar, and then two layers of bricks are paved on the mat, and a layer of lead is poured, and then fertile soil is planted on it. Many exotic flowers and plants from foreign countries are planted, and irrigation water and water pipes are provided.
Water supply system driven by slave manpower
The most amazing part of the Hanging Gardens in Babylon is the water supply system. Because there is not much rain in Babylon, and the ruins of the Hanging Gardens are believed to be far away from the Euphrates River, researchers believe that the Hanging Gardens should have a lot of water transmission equipment. The slaves constantly push the handle connected with the gear wheel to transport the underground water to the storage tank on the highest floor, and then return to the ground through the artificial river.
In those days, the Babylonians used earth to pave the solid vaults of some cabins, heighten them layer by layer, and plant flowers and trees. As for irrigation water, it is supplied continuously by the water press in the underground cabin. Each of these two rows of huts is only 6.6 square meters on average. The two rows of small houses are separated by a corridor and arranged symmetrically, surrounded by high and wide walls. A well with three sinks was found in a hut in the west row. One is square and the other two are oval. According to the analysis of archaeologists, these huts may be the original water houses, and those sinks are used to install water presses.
Archaeologists have proved that the principle of the water press at that time was basically the same as that of the chain pump. It connects several buckets on a chain with a wheel placed on the wall. When the wheel rotates once, the buckets will rotate, completing the whole process of lifting and pouring water, and then the water flows to the garden through the sink for irrigation.
Superb architectural design technology
Another problem is the maintenance. Because it is impossible for ordinary buildings to resist the erosion of the river for a long time without collapsing. Because there are not many stones in the Mesopotamian plain, researchers believe that the bricks used in the sky garden are different from others. They are added with reed, asphalt and tiles. More literature indicates that the stones are added with a layer of lead to prevent the river from seeping into the foundation.
It is said that the sky garden originally looked like a green mountain made of mud bricks, rising from the center of the city. Because the garden is higher than the palace wall, it feels like the whole imperial garden is hanging in the air, so it is called "Hanging Garden", also known as "Hanging Garden". People who went to Babylon to worship, do business or travel in those days can see the golden roof on the upper floor of the Sky City shining in the sun from afar.
The Hanging Garden is an outstanding achievement of the Babylonians in ancient times and brings great pride to the people. Tourists who come to Babylon often record this great wonder. The Hanging Garden should have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 600 BC, representing an amazing performance in engineering. Various trees, shrubs and vines were planted in the layered garden.
Rebuild the Hanging Garden
In order to develop the tourism industry, in 1978, the Iraqi government formulated and implemented a plan to build the ruins of Babylon, built part of the city walls and buildings on the ruins, built a museum in the city, and displayed the unearthed cultural relics of Babylon. Among them, a copy of a black emerald stone tablet more than 2 meters high is the most precious. The top half of the stone tablet is an exquisite relief engraved with the scene of the sun god conferring power on Hammurabi, The second half is the full text of the Code of Hammurabi recorded in cuneiform. The original stone tablet of the world's first code, which was formulated under the leadership of King Hamorabi of Babylon (about 1792-1750 BC), is now preserved in the Louvre Museum in France. In addition, the Iraqi government has also rebuilt the Temple of Nyimak and the Hanging Garden in the ruins of Babylon and the city of Baghdad. The light blue wall of the ancient city has been renovated, with a height of several meters, and the charm of the ancient city has been restored.