Chronicles places Manasseh’s captivity in Babylon. Its ruins are in modern Iraq, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) south of Baghdad. The marker locates the archaeological site, not an identified prison or the place where he prayed.
Why Babylon appears in this story
Manasseh ruled in Jerusalem. According to 2 Chronicles 33:11–13, commanders of the Assyrian king took him to Babylon, and he later returned to Jerusalem. The text names Assyrian captors; it should not be confused with Judah’s later exile under the Babylonian empire. It gives no detailed travel route.
A modern view of an ancient place
UNESCO identifies Babylon’s site 85 kilometers south of Baghdad. This is geographic orientation, not a driving distance. Roads and place labels on the map are modern. Many visible remains and reconstructions relate to periods after Manasseh, so they do not show exactly what he saw. Baghdad is used here as a present-day landmark.
Sources: UNESCO World Heritage Centre: Babylon; 2 Chronicles 33, NIV. UNESCO coordinates rounded to 32.54197, 44.42083. Location notes checked September 15, 2026.