Ishatr_Gate

the Ishtar Gate The Ishtar Gate (605-562 B .C ) originated as one of eight processional gateways to the great city of Babylon . Constructed of mud-brick masonry with a glazed exterior (or skin , the fortified wall demonstrates a dual function and represents both represents both architectural and expressive design , functioning as a defensive military “earthwork ” and also as a religious and civic symbol of pride and grandeur . The blue-glazed tiles of the edifice alternate with rows of bas-relief carvings in animal forms which are symbolic emblems of religious significance . The gate stands 47 feet high and is 100 feet wide more precisely , the Ishtar Gate is a double-gate with the roof and doors originally constructed out of cedar . The Ishtar Gate held special significance alongside the other city-gates : The famous double walls were pierced by eight gates , all named after gods , and the most splendidly decorated one was the Ishtar Gate since the ritual processions on the occasion of the Babylonian New Year festival had to pass through it . It was a double gate corresponding to the double wall with an arched doorway and projecting towers . The facade and the passage were decorated with symbolic emblems of the city ‘s patron-god Marduk , fashioned of especially moulded , colourful glazed bricks set off against a deep blue background (now in the Berlin Museum . 1 No artist or group of artists is credited with the design or construction of the Ishtar Gate however , the intention of expression by the anonymous architect and craftsmen who collaborated on the Gate is nonetheless evident in the scope , precise design , harmony , and overall aesthetic impact of the Ishtar Gate . No doubt , even the once magnificent Gate startled contemporary viewers as much as those who look back from the future it was once considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World , and retained its aesthetic glory even post-excavation “The imposing ruins of the Ishtar Gate , built by Nebuchadnezzar[ .] show why the Babylonians boasted of their building accomplishments and why their city was called “Babylon the Great ” 2 The design and form of the Gate is intended to inspire awe and majesty .The huge surface area where the bas-reliefs and glazed tiles tower down in splendid color are meant to convey a sense of civic pride and religious protection to the citizens of Babylon and to inspire fear and trepidation to possible invaders . An interesting symbolic connotation is conveyed through the multiple dualities inherent in the form of the Gate . To begin with , the Gate has two sides and is ,m itself a double-gate : symbolically : the bas-reliefs and other inscriptions on the wall convey a dual purpose : to still civic pride and glory upon the citizens whom the wall was built to protect and to warn possible hostiles of consequences .