Heritage from Home: Ishtar Gate, Babylon

Founded more than 4000 years ago on the banks of the Euphrates River, the ancient city of Babylon was once the capital of a vast, sophisticated empire. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s most important archeological sites.

By all accounts, the most iconic symbol of this legendary site is the great Ishtar Gate, a massive gateway towering over a grand processional way into the inner city. The gate’s once cobalt-blue bricks and yellow-glazed relief animals are instantly recognizable and can be admired in relics and reproductions across the world.

Join us on a journey behind the scenes of this exceptional site and learn about World Monuments Fund’s (WMF) years-long effort to maintain and restore the Ishtar Gate with WMF Program Director Jeff Allen; Ammar al-Taee, Archaeologist at the Iraqi State Board of Antiquities and Heritage; and Dr. Helen Gries, Curator at the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin, Germany.