Pergamon Museum
The Berlin museum where Babylon's blue-glazed Ishtar Gate stands, rebuilt from original bricks excavated a century ago.
- Location
- Museum Island, Berlin
- Modern country
- Germany
- Built
- 1910–1930
- Highlights
- Ishtar Gate and Processional Way of Babylon; Pergamon Altar
- Status
- Closed since Oct 2023; Ishtar Gate wing due c. 2037
What is Pergamon Museum known for?
The Pergamon Museum stands on Museum Island in Berlin. It was built between 1910 and 1930 to show large architectural pieces excavated by German archaeologists, and it is named after the Pergamon Altar from western Turkey.
Its Museum of the Ancient Near East contains the Ishtar Gate and part of the Processional Way of Babylon, rebuilt from original glazed bricks excavated by Robert Koldewey's expedition between 1899 and 1917. The blue gate, decorated with dragons and bulls, was built under Nebuchadnezzar II in the 6th century BCE. It is one of the few large physical survivors of the city celebrated in the Babylonian creation epic Enuma Elish, in which Marduk founds Babylon.
The museum closed completely on 23 October 2023 for refurbishment. Its central section is due to reopen in 2027, but the south wing with the Ishtar Gate is not expected to reopen until about 2037; the gate stays in place inside a protective casing.
The Pergamon Museum holds the Ishtar Gate, a survivor from the Babylon of the Enuma Elish.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeMarduk
- PersonNebuchadnezzar II
- PlaceIshtar Gate
Sources
- Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, 'FAQ Pergamonmuseum: All you need to know about the refurbishment'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Pergamon Museum'Reference
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