Centuries ago, King Nebuchadnezzar II lived in a land called Babylonia. He married a beautiful princess from another land and brought her to Babylon, the capital of Babylonia. She was the daughter of the King of Medes. Even though king Nebuchadnezzar's palace was lovely, the queen grew homesick for the beautiful gardens and mountains she left behind.
Greek legends tell two stories of how the gardens came to be.
The king called for his best architects and craftsmen and they made plans to build the most beautiful gardens the world had ever seen. Without any type of machinery, the work was all done by hand, and the labors had to haul rocks and stones from far away. Soon, the work began on the step pyramid and the men built tall walls and a series of terraces. When they were finished they added flowers, shrubs, various trees including fruit trees, and fountains. Excavations have found a detailed tunnel and pulley system that evidently brought water from ground level to the top terrace.