( CNN ) -- The U.S. military did major damage to the site of one of the wonders of the ancient world while converting it into a base , the United Nations said in a new report . An U.S. soldier looks over the ancient city of Babylon in Iraq in 2004 . The site of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was converted into Camp Alpha shortly after the United States invaded Iraq in 2003 . The troops and their contractors caused `` major damage '' by digging , cutting , scraping and leveling while they were revamping the site to meet military standards , the U.N. cultural agency , UNESCO , said in a report . `` Key structures that were damaged include the Ishtar Gate and the Processional Way , '' the report added . The Ishtar Gate , an entrance to the northern part of the city , is decorated with animals that portray the symbol of the god of the city of Babylon . `` Damage to the gate includes smashed bricks on nine of the bodies of the animals adorning the gate , '' according to the report . A military official said she had not seen the U.N. report , but added that one of the reasons troops set up a base at the site was to safeguard it . `` Coalition forces first occupied the Babylon site in April 2003 during the ground campaign of Operation Iraqi Freedom with a purpose , among others , of protecting the ruins from looting after the provincial museums in Babylon and Kufa were robbed of their entire contents , '' said Lt. Col. Tamara Parker , a spokeswoman . `` U.S. forces respect historical sites in Iraq , '' she added . The United Nations lists additional damage to the site , including trenches used as firing positions and barbed wire secured to various spots . The stakes used to set up the barbed wire damaged walls , according to the report . Babylon , an hour 's drive south of Baghdad , dates to ancient Mesopotamia . The city on the banks of the Euphrates River was the home of Hammurabi and later Nebuchadnezzar , who built the famous gardens for his wife . Alexander the Great wished to make Babylon his capital , but died before realizing his plan . During colonial times , archaeologists hauled off Babylon 's artifacts to Europe . Some of those artifacts can be seen in a museum in Berlin , Germany . The site was occupied by Camp Alpha from September 2003 till December 2004 , the report said . The United States has agreed to pay $ 800,000 to help rehabilitate the Babylon site , an Iraqi official said . `` We were very disappointed when multinational forces took over these ancient sites as bases although they knew how important these sites are to Iraqis and to the entire world , '' said Abdulzahra al-Talaqani , spokesman for the ministry of tourism . Plans are under way to clean up the area in August with the help of hundreds of volunteers , according to al-Talaqani . The U.N. report noted that U.S. troops were not solely responsible for ruining the 4,000-year-old city . Before their arrival , local residents had contributed to the damage , mostly through development , the report said . `` The features of the western side of the city of Babylon disappeared many years ago due to encroachment by agriculture and development on the archaeological zone , '' the report said .
U.N. report claims U.S. troops damaged city of Babylon during Iraq invasion . The United Nations says the damage was caused by a roadside bomb that exploded in front of an Iraqi army patrol on March 19, 2003. Report cites extensive damage to Ishtar 's Gate , Processional Way . United States to pay $ 800,000 to clean Babylon site .