What Is The Purpose Of the Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar gate is one of the eight gates of the inner city of Babylon and act as a portal to invoke divine protection from the gods. It was the main entrance to Babylon. It was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. On the door there are represented animals like lions, rimi (a type of wild ox) , dragons and a bulls . The lion was the symbol of Ishtar and the dragons and bulls symbolised the gods Maduke and Adad and the other animals were a combination of religious reverence. It was built during the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, a famous ruler of Babylon, and It stands 47 feet high and 100 feet wide (14 meters by 30 meters). The gate itself was a double one and on its south side was a vast antechamber through the gatehouse ran a stone and brick paved avenue, the so-called Processional Way. The statues of the deities were paraded through the gate and down the Processional Way each year during the There is evidence that the ancients were living in organise communities. The Ishtar gate New Year's celebration. This promenade is estimated to have been around half a mile (roughly one kilometer) long, and it was also covered, in a roof made from solid cedar. The walls along the promenade were covered in a motif of golden lions against a blue background, while the outer walls of the gate had depictions of predecessors of the modern cow known as aurochs, along with dragon-like beasts. The Ishtar Gate was dedicated to the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, who oversees both love and war, and it was a popular site for ceremonial processions and parades. Statues of gods and goddesses could be paraded along the processional way for major religious events, and prominent members of society also participated in such events as part of their religious faith. In its time, the gate was considered one of the marvels of the ancient world, along with the walls of Babylon. Originally the gate, as part of the Walls of Babylon, was considered one of the Seven Wonders of the world until, in the 6th century AD, it was replaced with the Lighthouse of Alexandria. The architecture and craftsmanship are really remarkable, when one considers the fact that the Ishtar Gate was constructed entirely by hand, and without the benefit or assistance of many modern construction tools.

Rusty Russell (http://www.bible-history.com/babylonia/BabyloniaThe_Ishtar_Gate.htm)