Babylon

Iraq unveiled on Sunday a 2,800-year-old stone tablet returned by Italy, as the war-ravaged country works to recover from abroad antiquities looted from its territory.

The tablet, whose text is written in cuneiform, the Babylonian alphabet, bears the insignia of Shalmaneser III, the Assyrian king who ruled the region of Nimrod, in present-day northern Iraq, from 858 to 823 BC.

Showcasing traditional dance, music and arts, Iraq's Babylon International Festival has attracted thousands of fans for the first time in two war-scarred decades.

"It's a great joy. We haven't seen a festival like this for years," said Shaima, 45, visiting the event at the ancient archeological site with her two daughters.

Do you want to buy a more than 3,000-year-old Sumerian tablet, listed as the property of a gentleman from Sussex in England and passed down as a family heirloom? On auction site liveauctioneers.com, bidding for the "Sumerian clay tablet" starts at 550 pounds ($750).

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The ancient city of Babylon, first referenced in a clay tablet from the 23rd century B.C., was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site on July 5, after a vote that followed decades of lobbying by Iraq.

A new book titled "We Will Live After Babylon" brings together the short stories Ara Güler penned during his early period and his photographs. 

Archaeologists have found traces of beer in Iraq, dating back 2,500 years to ancient Mesopotamia and the Babylonian Empire. While texts from those forgotten days speak of fermented drinks, this is the "oldest direct evidence" of beer discovered, Smithsonian reported. Now, the archaeologists who have discovered traces are trying to replicate the recipe in the modern era. 

The toll from car bombs that ripped through the car parks of two upscale Baghdad hotels has risen to at least nine killed and dozens wounded, officials said on May 29.

The 5th Babylon Soundgarden Festival will be held May 23 at Babylon Kilyos, which is to be the festival's permanent home. Aside from all-day activities, Babylon Soundgarden will welcome its guests with performances from local and international DJs and bands, amidst the mesmerizing green and blue nature of Babylon Kilyos.

While walking on the beach, when one comes across a sand castle, one would not step on it, but just walk around it.

A person would not even sacrifice a sand castle. Even if it is made of sand, somebody shaped it. It must have its own story.

A new exhibition of ancient clay tablets discovered in modern-day Iraq is shedding light for the first time on the daily life of Jews exiled to Babylon some 2,500 years ago.