What Are The Seven Wonders Of The Modern World? The New Seven Wonders Foundation, a private group unaffiliated with UNESCO, has compiled a list of the seven wonders of the contemporary world.
So, what are the seven wonders of the modern world?
Great Wall of China
To call it incredible would be an understatement. The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest building-construction projects in history, with varying estimates of its length ranging from 5,500 miles (8,850 km) to 13,170 miles (21,000 km) (21,200 km).
Construction of this structure began in the seventh century BCE and lasted for two thousand years. It’s dubbed a “wall,” but there are two walls running parallel for quite a while.
The bulwark also features numerous watchtowers and barracks. The wall’s efficiency was, however, less than ideal. The wall’s primary purpose was to deter invasions and raids, but it was generally ineffective. However, academics have pointed out that its primary function was to spread “political propaganda.”
Chichén Itzá
The Castillo at Chichen Itza in the Mexican state of Yucatán is a Toltec-style pyramid that towers 79 feet (24 meters) above the plaza below.
The ancient Maya city was overrun by foreigners in the tenth century, at which time construction of the pyramid began.
Located on the Yucatán Peninsula in modern-day Mexico, Chichén Itzá was once a thriving Mayan city in the ninth and tenth centuries C.E.
Several significant temples and monuments were constructed during the reign of the Mayan tribe Itzá, who the Toltecs heavily influenced.
One of the most striking is El Castillo, often known as “The Castle,” a stepped pyramid that rises 79 feet (24 meters) over the Main Plaza.
Also Read: What Are The Different Biomes Of The World?
There are 365 stairways, corresponding to the number of solar days, attesting to the Mayans’ proficiency in astronomy. There is a stone snake head at the pyramid’s foot, and on the equinoxes of spring and fall, the setting light produces shadows on the pyramid that make it look like a serpent is writhing down the north stairs.
However, there was more to life than just labor and research.
The tlachtli at Chichén Itzá is the largest of its kind in the Americas. In that area, locals engaged in a ritual ball game that was common throughout pre-Columbian Mesoamerica.
Petra
Petra, Jordan, is an ancient city in a valley surrounded by sandstone cliffs and mountains. According to legend, this was one of the locations where Moses brought forth water by striking a rock.
Later, an Arab people known as the Nabataeans named it their capital, and it flourished at that time, becoming a significant trading post for spices in particular.
The Nabataeans were skilled stonemasons who carved homes, temples, and tombs out of the sandstone that shifted color with the sun’s light. They also built a water infrastructure that facilitated prosperous farming and garden design.
During its heyday, Petra was home to an estimated thirty thousand people. However, as the city’s trading routes changed, it fell into disrepair. Additional problems were caused by a huge earthquake in 363 CE, and after another tremor struck in 551 CE, Petra was gradually abandoned.
Even though it was discovered again in 1912, archaeologists paid little mind until the latter part of the 20th century, and many mysteries still surround the city.
Machu Picchu
Hiram Bingham “found” an Incan ruin in Cuzco, Peru, in 1911 and interpreted it as Vilcabamba, a fortified Incan outpost used in the 16th-century uprising against Spanish control.
Despite debunking that theory, historians are still scratching their heads over what Machu Picchu was built for. Women who took a vow of chastity and resided in convents were called “Virgins of the Sun,” Bingham thought this was their home.
Some have speculated that it was a royal retreat, while others have suggested it was a pilgrimage place. What is known is that Machu Picchu is one of the few large pre-Columbian remains found nearly intact (one thing it should not be is the setting of a beer commercial; in 2000, a crane was used for such an ad fell and fractured a monument).
Despite its remote location in the Andes, this ancient city contains plazas, residential neighborhoods, agricultural terraces, and religious structures.
Christ the Redeemer
In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a massive statue of Jesus called Christ the Redeemer may be found atop Mount Corcovado. Some Brazilians, worried about a “flood of godlessness” after World War I, proposed a statue, which was eventually sculpted by Heitor da Silva Costa, Carlos Oswald, and Paul Landowski. This building’s construction started in 1926 and was finished by 1931. The finished structure has a height of 98 feet (30 meters) without counting its base, which is around 26 feet (8 meters) in height, and a width of 92 feet (27.8 meters) (28 meters). In terms of size, it dwarfs any other Art Deco sculpture. Around six million tiles adorn the outside of Christ the Redeemer, built of reinforced concrete. Uncomfortably, the statue has been hit by lightning numerous times, most recently in 2014, when the storm broke off the tip of Jesus’s right thumb.
Colosseum
In the first century, Emperor Vespasian commissioned the construction of the Colosseum in Rome. The amphitheater is a marvel of engineering, measuring 620 by 513 feet (189 by 156 meters) and boasting an intricate system of vaults.
It could hold up to 50,000 people who came to see all sorts of activities. Although gladiator bouts garnered the most attention, it was not uncommon for humans to face off against animals. The Colosseum occasionally had water pumped into it for simulated naval battles.
Christians were allegedly martyred there, but whether or not they were actually thrown to lions is a matter of some contention. About half a million individuals may have perished at the Colosseum. Some animal species may have gone extinct because of the widespread capture and slaughter.
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum complex in Agra, India, and is widely considered the finest surviving example of Mughal architecture.
After his wife, Mumtaz Maal (“Chosen One of the Palace”), died in childbirth in 1631, Emperor Shah Jahn (reigned 1628-58) commissioned its construction. The massive garden and reflecting pool at the center of the complex resulted from 22 years and the labor of 20,000 people.
The mausoleum is adorned with geometric and floral motifs crafted from semiprecious stones set into white marble. It has one large dome in the center and four smaller ones on the sides.
Some say that Shah Jahan wanted his mausoleum constructed of black marble. Before any construction could begin, however, one of his sons ousted him from power.
