Nebuchadnezzar was the son of Nabopolassar; he is the most important king of the neo-Babylonian empire. He is well known for his legendary hanging gardens of Babylon, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. He also restored old religious monuments and improved canals; he surrounded his capital with a double wall ten miles long. In 597 he attacked Jerusalem and deposed king Jehoiakim and put Zedekiah on the thrown.