The seven wonders of the world has changed or should we say has evolved over the years, and in the year 2000, a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to decide the new seven wonders of the world.
The original seven wonders were compiled in the 2nd Century BCE, and there is only 1 of them still standing, and that is the Pyramids of Giza. There were over 100 million votes for the new seven wonders of the world, and in 2007 the all-new seven wonders of the world were announced.
Great Wall of China
The great wall of china has made it on to the new list of seven wonders of the world because “great” is a massive understatement for one of the worlds largest building construction projects. It is thought that the great wall of china is 5,500 miles long, but a Chinese study claims that the length is actually 13,170 miles.
The construction of the great wall of china started in the 7th century BCE and continued for two millennia. Even though it is called a wall, it is actually constructed of two parallel walls for the long stretches. There are also watchtowers and barracks dotted along the wall. The Great Wall of China was errected to protect against raids, and invasions the wall did not actually work very well, and over time it is thought it served more as political propaganda.
Chichén Itzá
The temples, stepped pyramids, column arcades and other structures of Chichén Itzá were sacred to the Maya and a very advanced urban centre of their empire from A.D. 750 to 1200.
The most recognisable structure at Chichen Itza is the Temple of Kukulkan, which is also known as El Castillo. This temple has 365 steps one for each day of the year, and this step pyramid demonstrates the accuracy and importance of Maya astronomy and the influence of the Toltecs who invaded around 1000 and caused a merger of the two cultural traditions.
The Maya’s astronomy skills were so skilled that they could predict solar eclipses and an impressive and sophisticated observatory structure remains at Chichén Itzá.
There is so much to say about Chichén Itzá that I can’t tell you all about it.
Petra
Petra was known to the Nabataeans as Raqmu is a historical city in Southern Jordan.
The city is famous for its water conduit system, and the rock-cut architecture. Petra is also known as the Rose City due to the colour of the stone that is carved from.
Petra is reported to be established as early as 312 BC as the capital city if the Arab Nabataeans and is Jordans’ most visited tourist attraction. Petra becomes a major trading hub which enabled it to gather wealth.
The Nabateans were known for their amazing skill in building very effective in collecting water methods in barren deserts. The Nabataeans had an incredible talent in carving structures into solid rocks.
Petra was not known to the western world until about 1812 when it was made known by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.
UNESCO has described Petra as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage”.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu is a 15th-century Inca citadel located in southern Peru on a 2430 meter mountain ridge.
Just under 600 years ago a small tableland between to forest peaks high up in the Andes became the Inca empires’ greatest city.
This fortress in the clouds was abandoned 100 years later. Still, the Spanish invaders never found Machu Picchu. It was left for nature to embrace until the explorer Hiram Bingham heard about it in 1911 on an expedition and decided to investigate. Machu Picchu is the hidden city that can only be accessed either by foot or by train.
Christ the Redeemer
If you go to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, you need to go to the Christ The Redeemer as it is the top attraction.
You have without a doubt seen this picture millions and millions of times a huge statue of Christ the Redeemer with his has spread wide overlooking the beautiful landscape of mountains and beaches in Brazils most exciting city.
Photos never do anything the justice that seeing with your own eyes can do, and Christ the Redeemer is no different. The statue overlooks Rio De Janeiro for more than 90 years, and the modern world could not imagine Rios cityscape without the statue towering above.
The Colosseum
The Colosseum is the one place in Rome you think of straight away, and it is quite an imposing structure that with over 2000 years of history will captivate you and immerse yourself in the roman empire.
The Colosseum construction started in the year 72 and was finished in the year 80 during the rule of Emporer Titus once the Colosseum was finished it became the greatest Roman amphitheatre measuring 57 meters tall and 188 meters long.
I have been to Rome and Colosseum, and it was cracking. I loved it, and you can really lose yourself in the Roman Empire.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is iconic and beautiful and jaw-droppingly spectacular. I cannot think of another place in the world that is quite like the Taj Mahal. It is India’s most recognised monument and is well deservedly one of the seven wonders of the world.
The Taj Mahal is on the Yamuna River’s right bank in the Agra District in Uttar Pradesh. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
The Taj Mahal dates back to 1932, and lots of people do not realise that the Taj Mahal is actually a tomb containing Mumtaz Mahal, the wife of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
The Taj Mahal is constructed out of marble and took 22 years and 20,000 construction workers to finish.
I could write all day about the Taj mahal and how it deserves to be on the seven wonders of the world, but I cannot do it justice. You just need to go and see it for yourself when you can.
The seven wonders of the world list below have created a lot of discussion over the years, and some people agree with the list, and others think a lot of other wonders of the world are missing. Please tell us what you think and which ones you would add or remove.