The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, made by Nebuchadnezzar for his wife, are among the Original World Wonders. It was a wonderful sight for all who traveled to have a glimpse of this wonderful creation. A famous historian of 450 BC, Herodotus, wrote in his explanations that apart from the great size, Babylon was way above any city of the world in terms of magnificence. He claimed that Babylon’s outer walls were 56 miles at length, of thickness 80 feet and 320 feet in height. To his opinion the walls were so wide that it could have easily provided enough space for a four-horse chariot to turn.
There were fortress of temples inside the walls which had statues made of solid gold. He also said that there had been a famous Tower of Babel, lord Marduk temple, above the city, which seemed to have been touching the sky.
Even though a number of his claims have been put down as exaggeration by archeological examination, it shows how wonderful were the features of Babylon. However, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, built by King Nebuchadnezzar to make his homesick wife happy and cheerful, were even more interesting. Though some stories claim that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon hanged hundreds of feet over the ground, which was probably not the actual case.
Strabo, the Greek geographer, wrote in his description of the Hanging Garden of Babylon that it had vaulted terraces established one over the other, resting over pillars which were of cube shape. These did not consist of anything apart from earth in order to allow even the largest sized trees to be planted. Everything including the pillars, terraces, and vaults of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were made of asphalt and baked brick. These are some of its key characteristics which make it truly a wonder.