The Juniper Garden of Babylon and the Funeral of Alexander the Great

Abstract

The Juniper Garden (GIŠ.KIRI6gišŠIM.LI), or perhaps better the Juniper Orchard or Juniper Grove of Babylon, was a large shaded open area within the walls of the city. Sumerian gišŠIM.LI = Akkadian burâšu, is both the juniper tree and the aromatic substance obtained from the juniper tree. The word is translated as ‘cypress’ in Sachs-Hunger Diaries I where the garden is referred to as ‘the Cypress Garden.’ Later volumes translate ‘juniper.’