7 New Wonders of the World Final Selections
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Final jury is in. Approximately 100 million votes were cast via the Internet and cellphone text messages, said New 7 Wonders, the nonprofit organization that conducted the poll, which was released on Saturday. Without further ado, here are the new winners …
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
The only surviving structures of the original seven wonders, the three pyramids were built as tombs near the capital city of Memphis for the fourth dynasty kings Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure who ruled through 2589-2504 BCE. The largest of the three pyramids, the 452-foot-high Great Pyramid, was built for King Cheops.
Nearby is the Great Sphinx. The age and purpose of the Great Sphinx are debated, but it was probably part of Khafre’s Pyramid complex.
But pyramid building soon waned as the power and prosperity of the kings of Egypt weakened with the end of the Old Kingdom.
Colosseum, Italy
The giant amphitheater in the center of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and inaugurated in A.D. 80 by the Emperor Titus in a ceremony of games that lasted 100 days. The 50,000-seat Colosseum was an arena where thousands of gladiators dueled to the death and Christians were fed to the lions. See more on the Colosseum at Ancient Rome Reborn in Digital
Great Wall of China
The Great Wall of China — a 4,160-mile barricade running from east to west in northern China — was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It’s the longest man-made structure in the world, dating from the 7th through the 4th century B.C. It’s been claimed as the only one visible from space, but recent information disputes this.
Taj Mahal, India
This immense mausoleum in Agra was built on the orders of Muslim Mogol Emperor Shah Jahan between 1632 and 1654 for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, who died in childbirth. Built from white marble, standing amid formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. It houses the graves of the emperor and his wife, as well as those of lesser royalty. The emperor was consequently jailed. It’s said that he could then only see the Taj Mahal from his small cell window.
Petra, Jordan
On the edge of the Arabian Desert in southwestern Jordan, built on a terrace around the Wadi Musa or Valley of Moses, Petra was the glittering capital of the Arab kingdom of the Nabatean
empire of King Aretas IV — 9 B.C. to 40 A.D. It flourished under Roman rule after the Nabateans were defeated in A.D. 106. Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions, water chambers, and numerous stone structures carved in rock, the most impressive of which is probably Ad-Dayr, an uncompleted tomb that served as a church.
A theater modeled on Greek-Roman prototypes seated an audience of 4,000. The Palace Tombs of Petra — boasting a 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery — are extraordinary examples of Middle Eastern culture.
Christ the Redeemer Statue, Brazil
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The statue of Jesus stands 125 feet (38 meters) tall, overlooking Rio de Janeiro atop the Corcovado Mountain. Weighing more than 1,000 tons, it was designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and built by French sculptor Paul Landowski in pieces. Beginning in 1926, the statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It’s well known as a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people to receive visitors with open arms.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Built in the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds at 8,000 feet above sea level in the Andes Mountains on the mount known as Machu Picchu, translated as ‘old mountain’. It situates lying halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River.
It was likely abandoned by the Incas due to a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, and remained ‘lost’ for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911. It still remains a mystery how the massive stones were moved into place for the construction of the city.
Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico
Chichén Itzá — a step-pyramid surmounted by a temple — is the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures – the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners –are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition.
Built according to the solar calendar, it’s positioned so that shadows cast during the fall and spring equinoxes are claimed to appear like a snake crawling down the steps, similar to the carved serpent at the top. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
Nominations
The seven beat out 14 other nominated landmarks, including the Eiffel Tower, Easter Island in the Pacific, the Statue of Liberty, the Acropolis, Russia’s Kremlin and Australia’s Sydney Opera House, reports Yahoo News.
The pyramids of Giza, the only surviving structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world, were assured of retaining their status in addition to the new seven after indignant Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace they had to compete.
The campaign to name new wonders was launched in 1999 by the Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber. Almost 200 nominations came in, and the list was narrowed to the 21 most-voted by the start of 2006. Organizers admit there was no foolproof way to prevent people from voting more than once for their favorite.
The Colosseum, the Great Wall, Machu Picchu, the Taj Mahal and Petra had been among the leading candidates since January, while the Statue of Christ Redeemer received a surge in votes more recently. The Statue of Liberty and Australia’s Sydney Opera House were near the bottom of the list from the start.
Also among the losing candidates were Cambodia’s Angkor, Spain’s Alhambra, Turkey’s Hagia Sophia, Japan’s Kiyomizu Temple, Russia’s Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral, Germany’s Neuschwanstein Castle, Britain’s Stonehenge and Mali’s Timbuktu.
The traditional seven wonders were concentrated in the Mediterranean and Middle East. That list was derived from lists of marvels compiled by ancient Greek observers, the best known being Antipater of Sidon, a writer in the 2nd century B.C.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Statue of Zeus at Olympia, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the Pharos lighthouse off Alexandria have all vanished.
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So far, I’ve only visited the Colosseum in Rome, however I hope to hit the rest (except Petras) during my upcoming ‘Round the World trip!
It really is amazing to visit one of these places and contemplate how much effort it took people to build them without modern equipment!
How could the world’s largest ball of yarn not be considered?
all of these places are amazing!!…..unfortunatly, i will only be able to see them in pictures
Dave, you’re one lucky puppy! And yes, it’s pretty incredible how they’ve been constructed, and one of the reasons why they’ve been listed as one of the new 7 wonders. I saw your message asking to be linked up for my Do Follow list of bloggers. I’ll come visit you and add you if you’re using it
Hahaha, too funny Kevin!
Darlene, I’m in the same boat as you, sniff. Here, I have a spare tissue if you need one.
I`v made them all. I build those. I admit it for the first time ever.
(long applauses, ovations)
Thank you, thank you. I`v build all those and few others (which would be revealed to world on propper time) to see if any would ever appreciate my hard work.
(amazedness, hubbub)
So, ladies and gent`s, I`m unhappy to tell you that the list of miracles is false as ..
(comments, vociferations)
.. as in fact the list of world wonders should have only 2 items : Life on earth and human being.
(silence … then long applauses and ovations)
hi Deborah
very disappointed that our opera house missed out….sniff sniff
Valentin, you have unmeasurable talent … what took you so long to lay claim to their works?
BUT, serioiusly speaking, you have an unmeasurable good heart. ‘Life on earth and human beings’ … very true.
Kim, sorry your opera house didn’t make it. Here’s a box of tissues dawlin, don’t be sad
I’ve also added you to my list of Do Follow blogs. I thought I’d leave the comment here for you. There’s been so many comments that I receive errors when I open the file to add my comments. Gotta get my webmaster on it to see if he can fix that.
It’s a good thing that I never let anyone see my aluminum can collection, by golly. We’d all be in trouble but my vote is for the ball the world’s largest ball of yarn.
*Hugs*
Haha, well it’s unfortunate you weren’t aware of the dealine to send in pics of your collection. I’d have voted for ya
This is pretty cool to see this and know that there are amazing things all around us, but I am kind of sad that America, the greatest civilization maybe ever, doesn’t even have an item in here. Oh well, maybe 1000 years will tell a different story.
I Wonder, why Borobudur is not included? Borobudur temple is the biggest Buddhist temple. This temple is located at Borobudur District, South of Magelang, Central Java.
I couldn’t answer that, but there were over 200 nominations initially that was trimmed down to 21. Votes were cast by the mass in general to arrive at the final 7.
I guess you already noticed that you committed a little mistake. Your list of seven is actually of eight. And No, the pyramids of Giza didn’t make it till the end, I don’t know why, since they are far more impressive than the statue in Brazil but… And the Coliseum? I like the Acropolis a lot more.
Hi El Gonzo,
No, it wasn’t a mistake. Perhaps you missed this paragraph:
The pyramids of Giza, the only surviving structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world, were assured of retaining their status *in addition to the new seven* after indignant Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace they had to compete.
It’s unfortunate that some people’s choices will win while other valid ones don’t, but it all had to be narrowed down to 7 with the highest received number of votes.
Great Wall of China is my favorite!
I was invited with the People To People Organization to visit Itlay, France, Switzerland, and Austria, unfortunately the cost was over $6,000 with only a short amount of time to fundraise. If I would have been able to go I would have visited the Colosseum, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Sistene Chapel, the David, the Mona Lisa, and Venice. It would have been amazing. I wish I could have gone.
It sounds like an incredible trip, Stephanie. Perhaps try organizing something like that with a couple of friends after you’ve been able to save over time. $6,000 is a pretty large chunk of change to pay for a trip
If it was not all-inclusive, that would mean costs for food etc would make it even higher.
Giza pyramids is an excellent place to travel to. Sunset in the sands is something you should definitely see live.
i hope someday the puerto prinsesa n d philippines will b ncluded n d 7new wonders…
I think our modern-day structures are a little dull and generic compared to those of antiquity. We have the technology and resources to build something truly special but never do.
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