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The new Seven Wonders

The Taj Mahal Regarded as the symbol of love, the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan commissioned the Taj Mahal as a mausoleum for his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its construction began in 1632 and was completed in approximately 1648. Some dispute surrounds the question of who designed the Taj Mahal; it is clear a team of designers and craftsmen were responsible for the design, with Ustad Ahmad Lahauri considered the most likely candidate as the principal designer. The Roman Colosseum The Roman Colosseum is originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. It is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. The Colosseum was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles was originally capable of seating around 50,000 spectators. It was built on a site just east of the Roman Forum, with construction starting between 70 and 72 AD under the emperor Vespasian. The Colosseum is the largest ever built in the Roman Empire. It was completed in 80 AD under Titus, with further modifications being made during Domitian`s reign. The Pyramid of Chichen, Itza The Pyramid of Chichen Itza is located in the northern center of the Yucatán Peninsula. Chichen Itza was built by the Maya civilization, present-day Mexico and is a prestigious pre-Columbian archaeological site. Archaeological data, such as evidence of burning at a number of important structures and architectural complexes, suggest that Chichen Itza`s collapse was violent. Following the decline of Chichen Itza`s hegemony, regional power in the Yucatán shifted to a new center at Mayapan. Machu Picchu Hiram Bingham in 1911 provided the much-needed attention to Machu Picchu which was forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals. Machu Picchu is a pre-Columbian city created by the Ruby/Prabhjot. Located on a mountain ridge It is at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) above sea level. Machu Picchu is located above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km (44 mi) northwest of Cusco. Christ the Redeemer (statue) A potent symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil. It was 12th October 1931 when Statue of Christ the Redeemer was inaugurated. The final design of the monument was authored by the fine artist Carlos Oswald and the French Sculptor Paul Landowski was placed in charge of executing the sculpture. Up till today, several reforms have been completed to ensure the quality of O Christo Redentor. Lighting has been added, and the latest renewal of September 2002 is the addition of a panoramic elevator and motorized staircase to ease the difficulty for elderly persons. ( It used to be a hard rise of 220 steps to get to the top). Petra Lying in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), Petra is an archaeological site in Jordan. Petra is the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is famous for having many stone structures carved into the rock. Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt revealed the long-hidden site to the Western world. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate prize-winning sonnet by John William Burgon. The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China was built to protect the northern borders of the China. A series of stone and earthen defence in China, the Great Wall was built, rebuilt, and maintained between the 5th century BC and the 16th century. Several walls, referred to as the Great Wall of China, were built since the 5th century BC, the most famous being the one built between 220 BC and 200 BC by the first Emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang.

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The original Seven Wonders of the world

The `Seven Wonders of the Ancient World` is a widely known list of seven remarkable constructions of classical antiquity. The Pyramids of Giza are the only one of Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. Here are some details of the original seven Wonders. The historian Herodotus (484 BC-ca. 425 BC), and the scholar Callimachus of Cyrene (ca 305-240 BC) at the Museum of Alexandria, made early lists of `seven wonders` but their writings did not survive, except as references. The list that we know today was compiled in the Middle Ages – by which time many of the sites were no longer in existence. The list came mostly from ancient Greek writings, so only sites that would have been known and visited by the ancient Greeks were included. The list included: The Great Pyramid of Giza, built around 2650-2500 BC as the tomb of fourth dynasty Egyptian pharaoh Khufu, and is still standing. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon built around 600 BC. Herodotus claimed that the outer walls were 56 miles in length, 80 feet thick and 320 feet high. Destroyed by post-1st century BC Earthquake. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus built 550 BC and dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis. Herostratus burned it down in 356 BC in an attempt to achieve lasting fame. The Statue of Zeus at Olympia erected 435 BC and was 40 feet (12 metres) tall. It was dismantled by Christian rulers during the 5th and 6th centuries to discourage paganism. The Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus (in what is now south-east Turkey) built 351 BC and approximately 45 metres (135 feet) tall with each of the four sides adorned with sculptural reliefs. Origin of the word mausoleum. Damaged by an earthquake and totally destroyed by AD 1494 by European Crusaders. The Colossus of Rhodes built 292-280 BC. A giant bronze statue of the Greek god Helios roughly the same size as today`s Statue of Liberty in New York. Destroyed by a 224 BC earthquake. The Lighthouse of Alexandria built in 3rd century BC Egypt. At between 115 and 135 metres (383 – 440 ft) tall it was among the tallest man-made structures on Earth for many centuries. Destroyed between AD 1303-1480 by earthquake.