7 New Wonders of The World

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7 New Wonders of The World: We all know about the Great Wonders of the ancient world, but very few of us know about the new wonders. In January 2007, a private Swiss Foundation conducted a contest for everyone in the world who had access to the internet. People were given a choice of 21 sites to vote as the new wonders of the world. The original list was 77 that was shortlisted to 21 by a jury. The competition tallied over a 100 million votes and presented the New Seven Wonders of the World.

1. Great Wall of China

The longest built wall in the world is the great wall of China. It started as a small endeavor to barricade barbarian nomads from entering the Chinese Empire. Emperor Qin Shi Huang in the third century B.C. built the first part of the wall. Then followed the Ming Dynasty that built the best preserved section of the wall during the 14th through 17th century A.D.

At present, the wall spans out as long as 21,196 Km from East to West of China.

Unfortunately, due to natural erosion, almost 30 % of the wall has disappeared. Once, the wall was opened to people to visit for tourism, nearly 70,000 people visit the wall every day.

2. Ruins of Petra

Petra means ‘rock’ in Greek and was the home to a nomadic Arab tribe called Nabataeans that discovered it. It is located in Jordan the Arab Kingdom.

Petra was lost to the world for thousands of years. It is located in the middle of rugged desert canyons and mountains. This place was once a thriving trading center of the Nabataean empire during 400 B.C and A.D. 106. A European traveler in the 1800s disguised in a Bedouin costume infiltrated this mysterious land.

The structure spans out 60 square kilometers through the canyons, along riverbeds and up in the mountains.

This place was also the site where Hollywood blockbuster films, Indiana Jones, and The Last Crusade were filmed.

3. Christ the Redeemer

This structure is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a huge statue of Jesus Christ created by Polish-French sculptor Paul Landowski. It was built by Heitor da Silva Costa, a Brazilian engineer. The face of the sculpture was designed by Gheorghe Leonida, a Romanian artist.

The Redeemer stands at 98 ft tall on a 26 ft tall pedestal. The arms stretch out at 92 ft wide. The structure is 635 metric tons in weight and is situated at the Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National park. This point is not just amazing because of the statue but it also gives you a brilliant view of the city, Riode Janeiro. The statue is made of soapstone and reinforced concrete. The construction was done between 1922 and 1931. 

4. The Inca ruins, Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu was supposedly a royal estate or sacred religious site for the Inca leaders. It is located in the rocky countryside northwest of Cuzco, Peru. American archaeologist Hiram Bingham discovered Machu Picchu in 1911. The beautiful citadel stretches out over an impressive 5 miles and has 3000 stone steps. Thousands of people make their way up the beautiful monument to marvel over nature and the splendor of one of the world’s most beautiful man made structures.

Machu Picchu was built using a technique called ‘ashlar.’ The magnificent part of the structure is the stones were cut so precisely to one another, not even a needle can fit in between any two stones of the structure. No mortar was used to fasten these massive stones.  The Citadel is divided into two parts, Hanan and Urin in reference to the Inca tradition. Machu Picchu translates to Old Peak or Old Mountain. The stones used in the construction weigh nearly 50 tons and wheels were not used to transport the stones up the mountain. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Peru. Machu Picchu is also known as the Lost City of the Incas. The amazing feature of the city is 600 terraces prevent it from sliding off the mountain. It even has a water supply system that runs for over a kilometer.

5. The Mayan City of Chichen Itza

The Chichen Itza is located in the small city of Piste in Mexico. The sophisticated urban center of the Mayans sports stepped pyramids, columned arcades, and temples.

It dates back to A.D. 750 to 1200 A.D., during the Maya empire in Central America.

The timple of Kukulkan was the most recognizable structure here also known as El Castillo. The temple has 365 steps representing the days in a year. There are four sides to the temple, each side has 91 steps and the top most platform acts as the 365th step.

The amazing part of the temple is during the spring and autumn equinoxes, just two days a year, brilliant shadow forms on the temple. The shadow is in the shape of a serpent that slowly descends down the steps as the sun sets joining a stone serpent head at the base of the staircase.

6. The Colosseum: The Colosseum is also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre in the city of Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was opened by Vespasian’s son and successor, Titus in A.D. 80. It measures 620 ft by 513 ft and is the largest amphitheater in the Roman world. The building is a beautiful freestanding structure, constructed out of stone and concrete. The Colosseum can seat more than 50,000 spectators.

Nearly two thirds of the original structure have been destroyed due to natural disasters, vandalism, and neglect. It was restored in the 1990s and continues to attract a large number of tourists per year.

7. Taj Mahal

The Taj Mahal is situated on the banks of the Yamuna River in Agra district of Uttar Pradesh. The beautiful structure is surrounded by a huge Mughal garden and spans out to 17 hectares. The Taj Mahal started construction in 1632 A.D., by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. He built it in memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. The structure was completed in the year 1648 A.D. Further, a mosque, the guest house and the main gate was added which was completed by 1653 A.D. The construction took the attention of stone cutters, inlayers, carvers, painters, calligraphers, dome builders, masons and artisans from all over the Mughal kingdom to complete this marvel.

 

 

These seven wonders were decided only in 2007 and as all of them are beautiful and magnificent in their own way, a small mention of the original Wonders of the world is also needed. The Great Pyramid at Giza, Egypt, The hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Greece, The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, The Colossus of Rhodes and The Lighthouse of Alexandra, Egypt.

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