Ishtar Gate, 1:120

Paper model kit of the Ishtar Gate

Simple cardmodel kit of the Ishtar Gate from Babylon to cut out and glue, coloured. With short instructions and background information in German and English. As an inexpensive and very simple worksheet, also very suitable for lessons or educational museum work. If larger quantities of the craft sheet are required, we offer corresponding graduated prices.

Size approx. 22 x 8.5 cm, difficulty level very easy. The scale is approximately 1:100 to 1:120.

Das Ischtar Tor

The legendary city of Babylon was located on the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq and was the capital of one of the first ancient civilisations. The great city walls were among the wonders of the ancient world and had magnificent gates with colourful glazed bricks that were visible from afar and demonstrated the power and prowess of its king Nebuchadnezzar II (605-562 BC). There were also decorated processional streets that were used for parades or religious ceremonies.

In 1897, little of this splendour remained. During initial excavations, in addition to the remains of temples and buildings, colourfully glazed brick fragments with reliefs of bulls and snake-like animals were discovered, which were recognised as decorations for a gate.

Excavations at the Ishtar Gate 1914

A founding inscription dedicating the gate to the goddess Ishtar (Ištar) was also discovered:

"I am Nabu-kudurri-usur II, king of Babylonia, son of Nabopolassar, king of Babylon. I have built the Gate of Ištar with blue glazed stones for Marduk, my lord (...) I have erected mighty bronze beasts and powerful serpent formations at its threshold. With slabs of limestone and (...) stone I made the bull enclosure (...) Marduk, exalted Lord, give eternal life (...) as a gift."

The Ishtar Gate was reconstructed from around 200,000 fragments from 1906 and completed in 1930. However, although the gate was housed in the spacious Light Hall of the Pergamon Museum, the reconstructed version could only be built in a scaled-down version; reconstructing the actual dimensions of the gate in Babylon would have clearly exceeded the scope of possibilities.

The Ishtar Gate in the Pergamon Museum Berlin