Coloured glazed brick panels depicting the mythical composite animal has the head and the body of a snake, the front legs of a lion, the hind legs of a bird and a scorpion sting in the tail the symbol of the city God Marduk. From the facade of the  first smaller Ishtar Gate, Babylon, dating from 604-562 BC. Babylon (present day Iraq). The Ishtar Gate, Babylon, was situated in the northern wall of the city and was named after the goddess Ishtar. The ground plan and debris of the gate buildings were uncovered during the German excavation from 1899-1917 directed by Robert Koldewey. The Vorderasiatisches Museum, part of the Pergamon Museum, Berlin
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