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Babylon, Iraq
Babylon, settled around 2500 BC, became a great center of the Mesopotamian world 500 years later, when Hammurabi, the first king of the Babylonian empire, made it his capital. It was destroyed in the 6th century BC by the Assyrians, and then left to fall into ruin in the 2nd century BC, following the death of Alexander the Great. The ruins of Babylon conjure images of a biblical past: the great Tower of Babel; the beautiful hanging  gardens…and  there's that certain disco song that just won't leave your head…
Only the most hardened of travelers are currently visiting Babylon, 53 miles south of Baghdad. Babel Toursruns escorted itineraries.
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Saddam Hussein had begun rebuilding Babylon when the United States invaded Iraq. Â You can see the partiallly completed work he had done in the photo above.
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Founded by an ancient Indian king sometime around the 7th century BC, Taxila (or Takshashila) is a tale of three lost cities. The first was built on a hill, later known as Bhir Mound. In an Old Testament–style confusion of begats and political intrigue, the city was lost to a new Taxila, known as Sirkap, built by Greek invaders. It enjoyed a period of significance in the world of philosophy and the arts, which continued under the Kushans, who took over and refounded Taxila as Sirsukh. Eventually, the city was lost to the Huns in the 6th century, who destroyed it and left it  in ruins.Taxila, Pakistan
Visit the site today, about 18 miles northwest of Islamabad. The Taxila Museum houses all manner of artifacts, which help you get a feel for the complex history of this once-great city.
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