Along the lakes that calm Berlin, driving east toward the Pergamon Museum that houses the cobalt blue mosaic Gates of Babylon and the Neues Museum with its bust of Nefertiti, the taxi driver pointed out the markings of the former Wall at various points along the way.

BBC: A tale of two Berlins

The original now stands as part of a reconstruction of the gate in Berlin's Pergamon Museum, whereas in Babylon itself, visitors enter through a replica.

CNN: Bringing Babylon back from the dead

"We thought for a long time about what to call the exhibit, " explained Ralf Wartke, deputy director of the Museum of the Ancient Near East, whose collection is housed in the Pergamon.

WSJ: The Ur-Metropolis | Uruk | Pergamon Museum | By A.J. Goldmann