It was not until the reign of Naboplashar (625-605 BC) of the Neo-Babylonian dynasty that the Mesopotamian civilization reached its ultimate glory. His son, Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) is credited for building the legendary Hanging Gardens. The Gardens were built by Nebushadnezzar II ( 604-562 B.C. ) for his median wife, Amyitis, who missed the landscape of her homeland. Her homeland was in modern day northeastern Iraq, which is the mountainous part of Iraq.

The mountains in Iraq are part of a range that in Turkey is called Taurus, and in Iran called Zagros. The city of Babylon was located in the south eastern plains of Iraq, in the fertile delta between the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. The Gardens were located on the east bank of the Euphrates river, about 50km south of present day Baghdad, Iraq. The Gardens were part of the city of Babylon, which was the capital of a kingdom that ruled a large area in southwest Asia. 

Modern historians argue that when Alexander's soldiers reached the fertile land of Mesopotamia and saw Babylon, they were impressed. When they later returned to their rugged homeland, they had stories to tell about the amazing gardens and palm trees at Mesopotamia.. About the palace of Nebuchadnezzar.. About the Tower of Babel and the ziggurats. And it was the imagination of poets and ancient historians that blended all these elements together to produce one of the World Wonders. 

The traditional description of the gardens states that they were built within the walls of the Royal Palace. Historians also believe they were a series of landscaped terraces, constructed c. 8th -6th century BC. The plants did not actually "hang" but were built on these terraces, higher than ground level. They were irrigated by pumps that pumped water out of the river Euphartes. It is believed that they were built out of reeds, bitumen, lead, and stone, so that the water would not seep through. 

Babylon is best known for Esagila, the temple of Marduk; Etemenanki, a seven-storied ziggurat; and the Hanging Gardens.