It is not known whether or not they actually existed, even though they are considered one of the Seven Wonders. There is evidence that they certainly COULD have existed using creative irrigation, but they might have only been fantasy in Greek poets minds. Read here for more: http://ce.eng.usf.edu/pharos/wonders/gardens.html

While greek historians are sometimes given to embellishment they did not make things up. and in any case theyre reliability is much greater than that of modern historical writers. So yes they absolutely where real.

It seems that they did. The only mention of them comes from Greek writers such as Herodotus and Strabo. Herodotus wrote in the 5th century BC and the gardens were reputed to have existed some 300 years previously. The story is plausible, though. It seems that the Medean wife of Nebuchadnezzar missed her hills and greenery, so the King built her hanging (actually "overhanging" is a better translation of the Greek word kremastos ) gardens built into the side of an artificial hill. These were watered by a complex irrigation system from the Euphrates river, which must have used a chain pump to get the water from the lower river to the heights of the gardens. STrabo describes the gardens as being built around a sort of step pyramid, which was a common form or architecture in the Middle East at the time. The site of Babylon has been excavated, and one possible location for the gardens identified, but this has been disputed. So, for the present, all we can say is, they probably did exist, but we are still awaiting proof. The Greeks were good historians, and it is possible that they did have information now lost, upon which their story was based. See http://www.unmuseum.org/hangg.htm

There is some controversy about their existence: "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (also known as the Hanging Gardens of Semiramis) (near present-day Al Hillah in Iraq, formerly Babylon) are considered one of the original Seven Wonders of the World. They were built by Nebuchadnezzar II around 600 BCE. He is reported to have constructed the gardens to please his wife, Amytis of Media, who longed for the trees and fragrant plants of her homeland. The gardens were destroyed by several earthquakes after the 2nd century BCE. The lush Hanging Gardens are extensively documented by Greek historians such as Strabo and Diodorus Siculus. Through the ages, the location may have been confused with gardens that existed at Nineveh, since tablets from there clearly show gardens. Writings on these tablets describe the possible use of something similar to an Archimedes' screw as a process of raising the water to the required height." "There is some controversy as to whether the Hanging Gardens were an actual creation or a poetic creation due to the lack of documentation of them in the chronicles of Babylonian history. In ancient writings the Hanging Gardens of Babylon were first described by Berossus, a Chaldean priest who lived in the late 4th century BCE. These accounts were later elaborated on by Greek historians. Recent archaeological excavations of the palace in Iraq have uncovered evidence of a building with vaults and a well nearby. However, the location of the palace complex contradicts where Greek historians placed the Hanging Gardens, which was on the banks of the Euphrates River. Recently there have been excavations on the banks of the Euphrates River of some substantial 25 meter-thick walls. Also, excavations have shown that there may be some seeds scattered around this area which may suggest that the Gardens did exist after all. A newer theory proposes that the garden was actually constructed under the orders of Sennacherib, who took the throne of Assyria in 705 BCE–681 BCE. During new studies of the location of Nineveh (Located on the eastern bank of the Tigris in ancient Assyria) his gardens were placed close to the entrance of his palace, on the bank of the river Tigris. It is possible that in the intervening centuries the two sites became confused, and the hanging gardens were attributed to Babylon." Source and further information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanging_Gardens_of_Babylon Further information: http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/worldhistory/hanginggardens1.htm Sennacherib Hanging Gardens of Babylon [ Part 1 ] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaFwJsasl2E Further parts: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2hnoOx1P5uc (part 2) (there seem to be at least 8 parts on YouTube)

Of course they did. Sadly they were destroyed. I think it would be cool that once Iraq is at peace that they could be rebuilt.

Most likely yes, but maybe it was not really that great to be considered one of the "Seven Wonder of the Ancient World." "The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is not like the way many people have pictured of in their mind. What people think of this wonder is full of fruits and flowers... waterfalls... gardens hanging from the palace terraces... exotic animals. But it is surprising that these things about the hanging gardens only existed in the minds of early historians and Greek poets." http://www.tqnyc.org/NYC062731/hanginggardensofbabylon.html