Babylon civilization conference in Baghdad

Archaeologists from some 30 countries including France are taking part in a conference dedicated to the Babylon civilization (604-538 BC).

The conference opened on Tuesday in Baghdad, bearing the title "Toward a greater understanding of the Babylonian civilization." During their one week-deliberations, experts and archaeologists from Arab and foreign countries will debate some 60 studies related to the civilization of Babylon, which reached its peak under the reign of Nebuchadrezzar. The participants will also discuss documents pertaining to the tower of Babylon.

In an inaugural speech, Iraqi Minister of Education Fahd al-Shukra said the conference aims at launching "studies and information that are just held as prisoners in libraries, museums and world universities and to make them available in the hands of intellectuals, as well as to protect these studies from misinterpretation."

The conference is being held on the sideline of Babylon Festival, which will be opened on September 22. It will last for ten days and will be inaugurated at the location of the Babylon archaeological site, almost 100 kilometers south of Baghdad.