The ancient site of Babylon, which is home to the Hanging Gardens and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, has been significantly damaged due to its use as a military base by coalition forces in Iraq from 2003-2004, a UNESCO report has said.

The final report of UNESCO's International Coordination Committee for Safeguarding of the Cultural Heritage of Iraq (ICC Iraq) said digging, cutting, scraping and levelling resulted in considerable damage to the archaeological city, with the Ishtar Gate, the Processional Way and other key structures also being harmed.

"Without pointing fingers, we now have a clear picture of the situation," said Mohamed Djelid, director of UNESCO's Office for Iraq.

The report, launched at a press conference in Paris, "provides the starting-point for the major challenge of restoration and conservation," he added.

According to the Report, the Iraqi Government's 1978-1987 restoration project rebuilt several buildings, erected modern facilities and undertook new landscaping, in part to create a new palace for Saddam Hussein, "to the great detriment of the site."

Babylon was plundered during the 2003 war, when contents from the Hammurabi and Nebuchadnezzar museums and from the Babylon Library and Archive were stolen and destroyed.

The new study noted that no new "malicious" or accidental damage has been reported since December 2004 and currently problems are due to neglect and maintenance and buildings previously restored are in poor condition.

Experts behind the Final Report called for a conservation plan to be implemented with the ultimate goal of nominating Babylon to join nearly 900 other sides on the UNESCO World Heritage List, the statement said.

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