Ishtar Gate

The Ishtar Gate is a monumental ceremonial gate from ancient Babylon, originally built under King Nebuchadnezzar II around 575 BCE and known for its glazed blue bricks and animal reliefs. A large reconstruction assembled from archaeological finds is displayed in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.

The museum presentation includes the reconstructed gate facade, panels decorated with lions, dragons and aurochs, and sections of the adjacent Processional Way. The visible display uses original excavated bricks and modern restoration to present the gate’s decorative program and scale.

The gate was part of Babylon’s monumental city architecture in the 6th century BCE and played a role in ritual processions and royal pageantry. German excavations in the early 20th century recovered many of the elements later reassembled in Berlin.

The reconstruction is located in the Pergamon Museum on Museum Island in central Berlin where it is a major museum highlight and an example of an archaeological reassembly from early 20th-century fieldwork.

• Date and origin: Originally constructed in Babylon under King Nebuchadnezzar II around 575 BCE, the Berlin display is a reconstruction assembled from excavation finds.
• Where to see it: The principal display is installed in the Pergamon Museum on Berlin's Museum Island and includes glazed brick reliefs of lions, dragons and bulls and fragments of the Processional Way.