A Glimpse Into the Work of the B. B. R. A. Society During the Last 100 Years, From a Parsee Point of View

The ruins of Babylon, referred to by Capt. Frederick and by other travellers, are the ruins of the city of the times of Nebuchadnezzar and his successors. As Rev. Sayce 2 says, “The Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar and his father, Nabopolassar, must have suffered when taken by Cyrus; but two sieges in the reign of Darius Hystaspes, and one in the reign of Xerxes, brought about the destruction of the defences, while the monotheistic rule of Persia allowed the temples to fall into decay. Alexander found the great temple of Bel a shapeless ruin, and the rise of Seleucia in its neighbourhood drew away its population and completed its material decay. The buildings became a quarry, first for Seleucia and then for Ctesiphon, A1 Modain, Baghdad, Kufa, Kerbelah, Hillah and other towns, and our only cause for wonder is, that the remains of the great capital of Babylonia are still so extensive”.