Diodorus declares that besides this bridge, to which he assigns a length of five stades (about 1000 yards) and a breadth of 30 feet, the two sides of the river were joined together by a tunnel, which was fifteen feet wide and twelve high to the spring of its arched roof.
The most remarkable buildings which the city contained were the two palaces, one on either side of the river, and the great temple of Belus.

Herodotus describes the great temple as contained within a square enclosure, two stades (nearly a quarter of a mile) both in length and breadth.

Its chief feature was the _ziggurat_ or tower, a huge solid mass of brick-work, built (like all Babylonian temple-towers) in stages, square being emplaced on square, and a sort of rude pyramid being thus formed, at the top of which was the main shrine of the god.

The basement platform of the Belus tower was, Herodotus tells us, a stade, or rather more than 200 yards, each way.

The number of stages was eight.