Genesis 11:8

Scattered them abroad. What men had not been willing to do voluntarily and under favorable circumstances, they were now compelled to do because of necessity. Inability to understand one another’s speech led to misunderstanding, distrust, and division. Those who could understand one another formed a small community of their own. This verse indicates that the builders of Babel were scattered far and wide, with the result that soon thereafter representatives of the human family were to be found in most parts of the world. Evidence from many lands testifies to the presence of human beings within a comparatively short time after the Flood. Archeological discoveries point to the Mesopotamian valley as the first locality to develop a distinct civilization. Similar civilizations sprang up soon afterward in Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Anatolia, India, China, and elsewhere. All available evidence supports the cryptic saying of Holy Writ that “the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth.”

They left off to build. The tower that was to rise to heaven was never completed. However, it is evident from the Bible and from history that the local population subsequently completed the work of building the city.