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Babylon Expedition
The ancient city of Babylon is a World Heritage Site, but faces old and new threats. As some of its walls collapse, environmentalists struggle to keep the past.
By Jane Arraf
BABYLON, Iraq – Ammar al-Taee, an Iraqi archaeologist, collected a clay panel that fell from one of Babylon’s ancient walls. The footprints of a dog wandering on dry clay more than 2000 years ago, the mask of cuneiform inscription, a reminder that these ruins were once a living city.
“This is Iraq’s legacy and we will have to save it,” said al-Taee, 29.
As part of a new generation of archaeologists, M. al-Taee is running for Iraqis on a World Monuments Fund assignment to stop the damage caused to one of the world’s best-known but least understood archaeological sites.
After years of Iraqi efforts, Babylon was listed two years ago as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, and discovered the remarkable universal cultural price of what was considered the most dazzling city in the ancient world.
But you have to use your imagination.
A century ago, German archaeologists took most of the city. An Ishtar gate rebuilt with many original enamelled tiles is a centerpiece of the Berlin Pergamon Museum. Other pieces on the walls of Babylon were sold to other institutions, adding the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
First, Babylon, like many Iraqi archaeological sites, fell into poor condition. Harmful elements and restructuring have allowed walls to collapse, and the fuel structure and pipes threaten vast spaces in this vast and largely undated city.
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