7+The+hanging+gardens+of+babylon+in+Iraq



** The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq **  ** By Devon ** The Hanging Gardens of Babylon in Iraq is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. The name of these gardens came from the Greek word //kremastos// which means "overhanging", or from the word //pensilis// which also means "overhanging" in Latin. There are no actual remains of these gardens so it is unknown if they really existed, but if they did, these gardens were recognized because it was made by human beings and because of its great size. The outer walls were 56 miles in lengh, 80 feet thick, and 320 feet high.

These gardens were known to be built by King Nebuchadnezzar II to make his wife happy. She did not like living in the semi-desert area of Babylon that was flat and sun-baked. She missed the green mountains and trees back in her homeland. This garden was 400 feet square and located on the River Euphrates, south of Baghdad, Iraq. At the top, it had buildings and apartments. The plantings were not planted in the ground but planted in to hollow pillars filled with soil that allows the trees to grow. Babylon got hardly any rain, so for the gardens to survive, they had to get the water from a nearby river. The gardens were watered by the chain pump which is two large wheels, one above the other, connected by a chain. On those chains there are buckets. These buckets are filled with water at the bottom of the chain. They move to the top and are flipped so the water gets out. Then they go back down the chain to fill up for more water. The gardens were recognized for their great heights and it was made by human beings. Since Babylon doesn’t get much rain, the system that was created, allowed the garden to survive. These gardens are different from others because they are growing from the pillars, not the ground.

This is a picture of the Babylonians making the gardens, and these are the gardens when they are finished.