From the Akkaddian Babilu, meaning "Gateway of the Gods".

The ruins of Babylon can be found in modern day Iraq, in Babil province just outside the city of Hilla, about 50 miles south of Bagdad

2 Kings 20:17
Psalm 137:1
Jeremiah 25:11
Isaiah 13:19

Babylon, built on both sides of the Euphrates River, dates beyond the twentieth century BC. the city was razed by Sennacherib and the Assyrians in 689 BC, but rebuild shortly afterward. Under Nebuchadnezzar II (602-562 BC) Babylon gained a reputation for its Ishtar Gate, hanging gardens and ziggurat. During that same period, Babylon attacked Jerusalem (602 BC), taking many Israelites captive for what we be known as the seventy-year Babylonian captivity. In 539 BC Babylon fell to the Persians and then 331 BC to Alexander the Great. Bu 141 BC Babylon was desolate, its inhabitants dispersed.

Former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein began to restore Babylon to its former glory in 1985. After he was deposed, the project halted. More recently, Iraqi and United Nations officials have been discussing plans to turn Babylon into a theme park and cultural center.