The Ishtar Gate & Processional Way are from the town wall of Babylon from the 6th century BC and the time of King Nebuchadnezzar II.
The original Processional Way was around 250 m long and 20 m wide – only around 30 m are shown in the museum with the “street” a third narrower than the original. Most of the glazed tiled lions are original but the upper wall decorations are modern copies.
The Ishtar Gate on display is the smaller of two: the larger inner gate is too big for the museum. As rebuilt, it measures 15 m high, 26 m wide and just over 4 m deep. It is decorated by reliefs of large bulls and mythical dragon figures combining parts of different animals. 42 of these animals are seen – originally up to 575 animals may have been on display.
