The magnificent capital of the Babylonian empire that destroyed Jerusalem and carried the Jews into exile. To the Jews, Babylon became the symbol of worldly power and oppression, and later, in Revelation, of the world itself in rebellion against God.
Lower Mesopotamia
Iraq
Babylon conquered Judah in 586 BCE, burned the temple, and deported the elite. The exiles lived 'by the waters of Babylon' (Psalm 137) for seventy years. Babylon's ziggurat, walls, and gardens were the wonder of the world, the very image of human greatness standing against God.
From Jerusalem to Babylon is about 550 miles east, a brutal journey for deported captives, and a route the exiled community could not freely return by.
The symbol of worldly power and exile, and the assurance that even the greatest empire cannot hold God's people forever.