According to the stories of the time hanging gardens of Babylon began as gesture of love and affection. Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon from 605 to 562 B. C., had married a Mede princess who was very homesick for her native land and its greenery. To please her, the king created the most beautiful gardens on the terraces of his royal palace.
The ancient peoples considered these gardens as one of the seven found wonders of the world. Archaeologists have never found any trace of them but some writes who saw the gardens have left behind detailed descriptions. They were not literally ‘hanging’ but were ‘up in the air’, that is roof gardens laid out on a series of terraces. These terraces were supported on strong vaults and were filled in with soil in which many kinds of trees grew.
The biggest danger to these gardens was rain which in that region occurs in downpours at certain times of the year. To protect the gardens from the torrential rain the caults were covered in bitumen or resign and clad in sheets of lead.
During the dry season the gardens were irrigated by pumps from the river Euphrates. The water was brought from ground level to a tank placed on the highest terrace.
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