1. The chief city of ancient Mesopotamia and capitol of the ancient kingdom of Babylonia.
2. Village in New York (USA).
Capital of ancient Babylonia, on the bank of the lower Euphrates River. The site is now in Iraq, 88 km/55 mi S of Baghdad and 8 km/5 mi N of Hilla, which is built chiefly of bricks from the ruins of Babylon. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, were probably erected on a vaulted stone base, the only stone construction in the mud-brick city. They formed a series of terraces, irrigated by a hydraulic system.
In 1986–89 President Saddam Hussein constructed a replica of the Southern Palace and citadel of Nebuchadnezzar II, on the plans of the German archeologist Robert Koldeway (1855–1925). In Rastafarianism, Babylon is the non-African world.