Babylon

Babylon (in Arabic: بابل; in Syriac: ܒܒܙܠ in Hebrew:בבל) is the Greek variant of Akkadian Babilu (bāb-ilû, meaning "Gateway of the god", translating Sumerian Kadingirra), an ancient city in Mesopotamia (modern Al Hillah, Iraq, see also: Iraq Maps), the ruins of which can be found in present-day Babil Province, about 50 miles (80 km) south of Baghdad. It was the "holy city" of Babylonia from around 2300 BC, and the seat of the Neo-Babylonian empire from 612 BC. In the Bible, the name appears as בבל (Babel).

In the Old Testament, the name appears as בבל Babel or Babylon interpreted by Genesis 11:9 to mean "confusion (by mixing)", from the verb balal:
1) to mix, mingle, confuse, confound
a) (Qal)
1) to mingle, confuse
2) to mix
3) to give provender, feed (animals)
b) (Hithpoel) to mix oneself (among others)
c) (Hiphil) to fade away

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

More...