Ishatr Gate

the Ishtar Gate The Ishtar Gate (605-562 B .C ) originated as one of eight processional gateways to the great city of Babylon . Constructed of mud-brick masonry with a glazed exterior (or skin , the fortified wall demonstrates a dual function and represents both represents both architectural and expressive design , functioning as a defensive military “earthwork ” and also as a religious and civic symbol of pride and grandeur . The blue-glazed tiles of the edifice alternate with rows of bas-relief carvings in animal forms which are symbolic emblems of religious significance . The gate stands 47 feet high and is 100 feet wide more precisely , the Ishtar Gate is a double-gate with the roof and doors originally constructed out of cedar . The Ishtar Gate held special significance alongside the other city-gates : The famous double walls were pierced by eight gates , all named after gods , and the most splendidly decorated one was the Ishtar Gate since the ritual processions on the occasion of the Babylonian New Year festival had to pass through it . It was a double gate corresponding to the double wall with an arched doorway and projecting towers . The facade and the passage were decorated with symbolic emblems of the city ‘s patron-god Marduk , fashioned of especially moulded , colourful glazed bricks set off against a deep blue background (now in the Berlin Museum . 1 No artist or group of artists is credited with the design or construction of the Ishtar Gate however , the intention of expression by the anonymous architect and craftsmen who collaborated on the Gate is nonetheless evident in the scope , precise design , harmony , and overall aesthetic impact of the Ishtar Gate . No doubt , even the once magnificent Gate startled contemporary viewers as much as those who look back from the future it was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World , and retained its aesthetic glory even post-excavation “The imposing ruins of the Ishtar Gate , built by...