7 WONDERS OF THE WORLD - (ANCIENT)

The Seven wonders of the world were first designated by Antipater of Sidon in the second
century AD. All classical writers did not list the same items as the Seven wonders but most
of them agree on the following:

The Pyramids of Egypt are a group of three pyramids, Mufu, Khafra and
Menkaura at Giza (near Cairo) to a southern limit 96 km distant are often
called the first wonder of the Globe. The oldest is that of Zoser, in Saggara,
constructed about 2700 B.C. The Great Pyramid of Cheops covers more than
12 acres and was originally 146.61 metres (481 ft) in height and 230.43 x
230.43 metres (756 x 756 ft) at the base. Of all the 7 Wonders, the Pyramids
alone survive.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon:

Adjoining Nebuchadnczzar's palace, located at 96 km south of Baghdad, the
Gardens were built in the sixth century BC. Terraced zardens, extending from
23 to 91 metres (75 to 300 ft) above ground level, were watered from storing
tank on the highest terrace.

The Tomb of Mausolus: At Halicarnassus, in Asia Minor. constructed by the

widowed Queen Artemisia about 350 BC. The memorial is the origin of the
term mausoleum.

The Temple of Diana at Ephesus:

Erected about 350 BC in honour of a non- Hellenic goddess who later
became identified with the Greek goddess of the same name. The temple
with Ionic columns eighteen metres high, was destroyed by the invading Goth
in 262 AD.

The Colossus of Rhodes: A bronze statue of Apollo, set up about 280 B.C
According to legend, it stood at the port entrance of port of Rhodes. It was
ruined during an earthquake in 224 B.C.

The Statue of Jupiter Olympus: At Olympia in the plain of Ellis constructed

of marble inlaid with in ivory and gold by the sculptor Phidias, around 43O
BC. All trace of it is vanished, except for reproduction in coins.

The Pharos of Alexandria: A marble watch tower and lighthouse on the

island of Pharos in the harbour of Alexandria, built by Sostrarus of Cnidus
during the Third century BC. It was destroyed by an earthquake in the 13th
century.

NEW SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

The Taj Mahal of Agra, was voted by about 1OO million Internet and phone voters
Worldwide as the No.1 among the seven 'new' wonders of the world. Other Wonders in the
list include the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome, the centuries-old pink remains
of Petra in J0rdan, the Sculpture of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, the Incan
remains of Machu Picchu in Peru and the ancient Mayan City of Children Itza in Mexico.
The list of the seven new wonders was compiled in 2007. Earlier, a private Swiss foundation
had launched the contest, allowing voters to choose from twenty one sites, shortlisted out of
77 selected by a jury of renowned architects and the ex-UNESCO Chief, Mr. Federico
Mayor. The other short-listed sites apart from those that emerged eventually as the seven
'new wonders included the Acropolis in Athens City, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statues on
Easter Island. Cambodia's Angkor Watt temples, Britain's Stonehenge, the Statue of Liberty
in New York and the Alhambra in Spain.

Taj Mahal of Agra, India: This sublime and imposing mausoleum was built in
the 17th century on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal emperor, in the
memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj Mahal. Carved out of white-marble, the Taj
Mahal is regarded as the most excellent piece of Indo-Islamic art, Here follows a
brief description of the other six 'new' wonders

Pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico: It was built around 500 AD by Mayan rulers
in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Chichen Itza aas' primarily designed to be a
temple city, but it also served as the political and economic centre of the Mayan
civilisation. The Pyramid was the best and

strongest of all the structures which still exist there.

3

Machu Picchu, Peru: This medieval city was built in the 15th century by the
Incan King Pachacutec, a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu
Picchu ("Olden Mountain"). This astonishing settlement lies halfway up the
Andes Plateau.

Statue of Christ The Redeemer, Brail:

This statue of Jesus, constructed in 1931, stands some 38 metre high, atop the
Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. It was designed by Brazilian
Heitor de Silva Costa.

Great Wall of China: Built in 220 BC and 1368 1644 AD to link existing
fortifications into a united defence system and keep invading Mongol tribes out of
China.

Roman Colosseum, Italy: This is a giant amphitheatre in the centre of Rome was
built in 70 82 AD to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire.

Ruins of Petra, Jordan: On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the
glittering head Quarters of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV, The Palace
Tombs of Petra, built from 9 BC to 40 AD, are instances of West Asian culture.