According to legend, Nebuchadnezzar II had the Hanging Gardens of Babylon built to cheer up his homesick wife, Amyitis, daughter of the King of Medes, who had married Nebuchadnezzar to create an alliance between the two nations. Her homeland was mountainous and had an abundant and rich variety of flora. Not surprisingly, she found the flat, barren terrain of Mesopotamia somewhat depressing. Nebuchadnezzar, wishing her to be happy, decided to build an artificial mountain with rooftop gardens. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon were so magnificent that they came to be considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.