No person has seen the unique listing of the seven wonders of the traditional world. The Greek historian Herodotus and later Callimachus are presupposed to have created this listing greater than two millennia in the past, however their unique writings on this matter haven’t survived — we solely know they included websites just like the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of Alexandria primarily based on the writings of others in a while.
The one surviving marvel of those unique seven that also stands is the Nice Pyramid of Giza — the opposite six are both fully misplaced to time or solely exist in fragments. Folks typically even query whether or not probably the most mysterious of all of them — the Hanging Gardens of Babylon — existed in any respect. Ruins of the Temple of Artemis in Turkey will be visited at the moment whereas a few of these of the Lighthouse of Alexandria are submerged beneath the Mediterranean. Earthquakes destroyed the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus — the second final standing of the seven unique wonders — by the Fifteenth century.
On condition that solely one of many unique seven survives at the moment, a Swiss basis started a worldwide vote to decide on seven new wonders in 2001. Greater than 100 million votes have been counted on an inventory of 21 closing candidates {that a} panel of consultants selected. Distinguished snubs included such wonderful constructions at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Stonehenge, and the Moai statues of Easter Island. Even the Nice Pyramid of Giza didn’t make the lower this time round. Here’s a listing of the brand new seven wonders of the world.
1. Nice Wall of China — Northern China
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Stretching for five,500 miles throughout elements of northern China, the Nice Wall is extra a collection of partitions than a single piece of structure — a few of the items really run parallel to one another. The Nice Wall runs from the Korean Peninsula all the way in which previous Beijing and into the northwestern Gansu province.
Components of the wall are pure, because the masonry, which incorporates stone, brick, wooden and earth, with mountain ridges and rivers. Whereas elements of the wall have been constructed as early because the seventh century B.C., nearly all of what nonetheless stands at the moment, in some kind, was constructed within the Ming Dynasty. The wall was constructed to defend in opposition to nomadic folks to the north, nevertheless it additionally helped varied administrations management commerce and immigration.
2. Machu Picchu — Peru
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The Inca have been well-known for constructing an epic collection of roads that cross the mountains, deserts and coastlines of South America. However maybe their most resilient architectural achievement was the constructing of Machu Picchu, a citadel that sits about 8,000 ft in elevation within the Andes of southern Peru. Attributable to its remoteness, the positioning had restricted European guests, and was solely rediscovered within the nineteenth century.
In keeping with the United Nations Academic, Scientific and Cultural Group (UNESCO), there are round 200 constructions that sit on high of the mountain ridge, which connects the peaks of Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu. The Quechua identify interprets to one thing like “outdated summit.”
It was possible constructed for the emperor Pachacuti Inca Yupanqui, who dominated within the mid-Fifteenth century, however was then subsequently deserted, probably resulting from an absence of water. It took staff from throughout to construct and preserve the place, a latest DNA examine discovered.
3. Chichén Itzá — Yucatán, Mexico
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Chichén Itzá has been an architectural puzzle for archaeologists for years. The UNESCO World Heritage web site was a serious metropolis within the Maya Late Traditional interval, however within the Postclassic interval beginning in 900 A.D., the positioning modified.
Components of the Platform of the Eagles and Jaguars, the Cranium Platform and the Temple of the Warriors present vital affect from the Toltec of Tula in central Mexico. Historic accounts from each Tula and Chichén Itzá allude to this change. Chichén Itzá additionally had the Sacred Cenote, a big sinkhole the place residents and the elite casted choices.
In any case, the town has been partly preserved and rebuilt. This contains the Temple of Kukulcán, which at the moment boasts an optical impact yearly at spring equinox. A feathered serpent descends from the steps of the pyramid.
4. Petra — Southwest Jordan
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The traditional Nabateans constructed elements of their capital metropolis proper into the rock faces of cliffs in southwestern Jordan. The capital was well-situated on busy commerce routes between the Pink Sea and the Lifeless Sea, and between Arabia, Egypt, Syria, and Phoenicia beginning within the 4th century B.C.
The positioning flourished up till Romans conquered the Nabateans to start with of the 2nd century A.D. Earthquakes additionally took their toll on elements of the traditional capital, ending most residency there in 551 A.D.
5. Christ the Redeemer — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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The work on the towering statue image of Rio de Janeiro on Cristo Redentor was accomplished in 1931, making it probably the most just lately constructed of the brand new seven wonders.
A French-Polish sculptor and Brazilian and French engineers created the statue. It stands almost 100 ft tall on the highest of a 26-foot pedestal, which itself sits on high of the Corcovado mountain in a nationwide park within the metropolis. The embrace of the determine stretches 92 ft from arm to arm.
6. Colosseum — Rome, Italy
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The Colosseum stands sturdy as the remainder of historical Rome lies in rubble. Emperor Vespasian started work on the construction in 72 A.D. and his successor Titus accomplished it eight years later.
The large enviornment held gladiator contests, the reenactments of battles, and animal hunts of all type in entrance of as much as 80,000 spectators. Advanced machinations within the underbelly of the Colosseum even allowed it to be full of water to enact sea battles.
7. Taj Mahal — Agra, India
(Credit score: Sudipta Mondal/Pexels)
Mughal emperor Shah Jahan contracted a marvel of architectural precision in-built reminiscence of one in all his wives, Mumtaz Mahal, after her dying. The Taj Mahal was accomplished in 1648 after 17 years of building in Agra, and almost each grand element of the mausoleum gives a lesson in symmetry, from the inserting of the 4 nook towers to the way in which it displays off a pond within the going through backyard.
The constructing was such a masterpiece that Jahan and Mahal’s son, Aurangzeb, buried him there alongside his mom when he died. Because it stands, Jahan’s sarcophagus sits off to the aspect of his spouse’s, almost the one exception to the unimaginable symmetry of the tomb.
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Joshua Rapp Study is an award-winning D.C.-based science author. An expat Albertan, he contributes to numerous science publications like Nationwide Geographic, The New York Occasions, The Guardian, New Scientist, Hakai, and others.
