THE HANGING GARDENS OF BABYLON

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient World,
even if it is not a sure thing if this is a fact or its only a fantasy of some ancient poets.
The Garden was built by King Nebuchadnezzar II between !" # "$ %&, for one of his
wives # 'mythis ( who came from a mountain region regretting the rich vegetation of his
country. There is also another legend outspread by the ancient Gree)s which says that it was
built a long time before the *II century %&, by King Ninus, the father of %abylon and Ninive, for
his wife +emiramida # thats why it is also called ,The -anging Gardens of +emiramids.. The
word ,hanging. is not properly used because these gardens did not really ,hang. in the sense of
being suspended from cables or ropes. The name comes from an ine/act translation of some
Gree) words which mean not 0ust ,hanging. but ,overhanging. as in the case of a terrace or a
balcony.
This huge garden filled a surface of 1" !!! s2uare meters and was developed in 3 4or
56 amphitheatre terraces, measuring over 55 meters high, carried by stone walls and columns,
articulated by stone arches, over which there were some layers of rushes, bric)s and plumb ( as
a waterproofing. The last was a big layer of clay, enough for the biggest race of any tree.
Why is this Garden a Wonder of the ancient World? In the first place, the
arhitetoni sol!tion was uni2ue at the time, with this )ind of terraces made of stone # a
mi/ture of vegetation, chilly rooms under this terraces and galleries where the sun was not so
powerful. +econdly, the "atering syste# "as $ery inno$ati$e, with deep wells, channels,
small la)es, hydraulics machineries which pumped up the water from 7uphrates 8iver to each
level of the huge garden. The channels under the races of the trees, which were watering
constantly the vegetation, were a real wonder of that time and we have to see this achievement
in the conte/t of the hot and dry climate of %abylon with deserted sights.
The -anging Gardens of %abylon represents # in the same time # the first "orld
olletions of %lants& pic)ed up by the soldiers from their battle areas and brought 2uic)ly to
%abylon to be planted.