Babylon was once an ancient wonder. Today it’s a very different story

Hillah, Iraq —

The sun hangs heavy over central Iraq in late afternoon, painting the ruins of Babylon in heat and light. Dust rises from the ground in soft clouds, carrying a faint scent that seems older than time itself. In this moment the city feels both empty and eternal, its silence broken only by the shuffle of a few travelers who have come to stand in the footprints of kings.

Once, Babylon was the jewel of Mesopotamia, the city that gave its name to entire eras— the Old, Middle, and New Babylonian periods. It was here that Nebuchadnezzar II ruled, where colossal temples and palaces were built, and where poets and chroniclers imagined one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Hanging Gardens. Today, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site yet still at risk, Babylon rest