In Iraq, A Race To Protect The Crumbling Bricks Of Ancient Babylon

Part of what remains of the ceremonial entrance through the walls of the ancient city of Babylon. The site was partly reconstructed in the 1950s and 1990s, but in a way that caused damage. Conservationists now are trying to undo some of that damage.

At its height, Babylon was the largest city in the world — the capital of the Babylonian empire, with an estimated 200,000 inhabitants. King Nebuchadnezzar II is credited with having created the terraced Hanging Gardens of Babylon some 2,500 years ago, said to be one of the seven wonders of the ancient world…

…If Iraq's application for Babylon to be named a World Heritage Site is accepted, it would give Iraq's antiquities department more power within the government to protect the site. It would also provide an incentive for more tourists to visit, and possibly, more archaeology.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/24/669272204/in-iraq-a-race-to-protect-the-crumbling-bricks-of-ancient-babylon