Discuss the structure and symbolism of the Ishtar Gate.

What will be an ideal response?

The Ishtar Gate was at the northern end of the Processional Way, an avenue also called “May the Enemy Not Have Victory,” in the city of Babylon.From the reconstructed gate, we can glean some sense of the city’s magnificence. The dark blue bricks are glazed—that is, covered with a film of glass—and they would have shone brilliantly in the sun. The gate was named after Ishtar, a Babylonian goddess of war whose symbol was the lion. The gate was decorated with rows of bulls, which were associated with deities such as Adad, god of the weather. The rows of bulls alternated with rows of fantastic dragons—with long necks, the forelegs of a lion, and the rear legs of a bird of prey—an animal form sacred to the god Marduk.