>I read a book around the time of the Gulf War about
>Babylon. It had pictures and the guy who wrote it had been there. Dryer or
>something like that I think. There's not a lot of people living there but
>there are some workers etc. 

Excerpts from "The Rise of Babylon: Sign of the End Times" by Charles H. 
Dyer (1991):

     "It is a cloudless September summer night, and the moon casts its 
shining image on the banks of the gentle Euphrates River. Thousands 
of guests and dignitaries walk by torch light to Babylon's Procession 
Street and enter the city from the north. Instructed to line the streets 
along the massive walls, the guests obediently follow orders. When the 
audience is in place, the dark-eyed man in charge nods, and the procession 
begins.
     
     "Rows and rows of soldiers parade in, dressed in Babylonian tunics 
and carrying swords, spears, and shields. Interspersed among the ranks of 
soldiers are groups of musicians playing harps, horns, and drums. Clusters 
of children carry palm branches, and runners bear bowls of incense. Then 
come soldiers and still more soldiers in a seemingly endless line of men 
and weapons. After the procession, the guests attend a ceremony paying 
tribute to Ishtar, the mother goddess of Babylon.
     
     "Have I just described a scene of pagan worship from the time of 
Daniel? Perhaps, but it is also exactly what I witnessed when I returned 
to Babylon in 1988 for the second International Babylon Festival held under 
the patronage of Saddam Hussein."
____________________

     "As recently as fifteen years ago, all that existed on the site of 
ancient Babylon were dusty ruins, or ruins of ruins...But as of February 
1990, over sixty  million bricks had been laid in the reconstruction of 
Nebuchadnezzar's fabled city. Saddam Hussein has ignored the objections 
of archaeologists who consider it a crime to build over ancient ruins...On 
the exact site of ancient Babylon, he has reconstructed the Southern Palace 
of Nebuchadnezzar, including the Procession Street, a Greek theater, many 
temples, what was once Nebuchadnezzar's throne room, and a half-scale model 
of the Ishtar Gate."
____________________

Hussein wants to "reestablish Iraq as the cradle of civilization and the 
Iraqi people as heirs to the great cultures of Babylon, Nineveh, and Ur..." 
He has given a blank check to the project of reconstructing Babylon. 

Whenever a new ruler arose, they would rebuild all the great cities and 
Saddam thinks he is the successsor of Nebuchadnezzar. "The festival's 
official seal featured the two men's portraits side by side, stressing 
their physical similarities. The festival's official theme was 'From 
Nabukhadnezzar to Saddam Hussein, Babylon undergoes a renaissance.'" All 
this talk of Nebuchadnezzar makes the Arab world antsy, though, because 
Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom included Syria, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia and 
Kuwait as well. Also, one of the high points of Nebuchadnezzar's reign is 
that he conquered Jerusalem and one of the murals on the walls of the 
Museum shows a picture of Saddam leading his army against a "walled city 
in a mountainous region surrounded by a prominent valley--clearly 
Jerusalem."

The one thing that I believe signifies Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom now is oil. 
People have always said that Rev 6:6 which speaks of not harming  the oil 
is talking about olive oil that played/plays such a major part in the 
Middle East, but I've always believed it has something to do with this 
kind of oil also. Saddam wanted to push prices higher but the Kuwaitis 
would have none of it, so he attacked. Just imagine what he would do if he 
had all of Nebuchadnezzar's kingdom under his control.

Bye,
Moza