The United Nations and Iraq to Rebuild Ancient Babylon

Crumbling brick buildings, some 2,500 years old, look like smashed sand castles at the beach. Famous sites, like the Tower of Babel and the Hanging Gardens, are swallowed up by river reeds. Signs of military occupation are everywhere, including trenches, bullet casings, shiny coils of razor wire and blast walls stamped, "This side Scud protection." But Babylon, the mud-brick city with the million-dollar name, may be entering a prophetic season. Iraqi leaders and U.N. officials are planning to restore Babylon and to turn it into a global cultural center.