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Why did Nebuchadnezzar II build major fortifications around Babylon?

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Reconstructed Ishtar Gate at Babylon near Al-Hillah, Iraq, featuring blue walls decorated with rows of yellow and white animal reliefs and a central arched entrance. — Babylon A reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate at the ruins of Babylon, near modern Al-Ḥillah, Iraq.

Nebuchadnezzar II undertook a vast program of rebuilding and fortification in Babylon to secure the capital of his Neo-Babylonian Empire, which had become a major imperial power and a target for foreign conquerors due to its immense wealth and prestige.12

To protect the city, he fortified the existing double walls and added a new triple wall outside them. Additionally, he erected the Median Wall north of the city between the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. These defensive measures were part of a broader effort to transform Babylon into the most splendid city of the civilized world, ensuring its status as the administrative and commercial center of the region.132