ISHTAR GATE

CHARACTERISTICS

The monument is a monumental gate, consisting of three bodies, two lateral ones in the form of tetrahedrons, and a central body with a vain covered by a barrel vault of around 48 meters long and 50 meters high if its towers are considered . All the bodies are crowned by battlements. It has a simple structure on the floor, with two square bodies that advance to the entrance door, which is located in a thick posterior wall, under a barrel vault. The materials used for its construction are adobe and on the outside a glazed ceramic coating is used, in which the blue color is elaborated from lapis lazuli, with decorative borders and other animal motifs that stands out.

 

Decorated with no less than 575 figures of bulls (symbol of God Adad), lions (Symbol of the Goddess Ishtar) and dragons (Symbol of God Marduk).

 

 

In its lower part and in the arch it was decorated with rows of large flowers similar to daisies. The door used to have two sphinxes within the arch that have been lost today.