The New Seven Wonders of the World
Last Revised on July 7, 2007Love Your Health Money Family & Relationship
The new 7 wonders of the world was announced today on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal . Estimated 100 million votes were cast by the Internet and cellphone text messages. The seven of them had 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. The only surviving structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world in the new Seven Wonder of the World was the pyramids of Giza.
Some Facts pulled together:
The new name New Wonders was started by a Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber in 1999. Weber’s Switzerland-based foundation aims on promoting the cultural diversity by supporting, preserving and restoring monuments.
The cost of running this organization is mostly paid by private donations and revenues earned from selling broadcasting rights.Interestingly enough, about 200 nominations had came in when it originally started. By the beginning of 2006, the list was eventually narrowed to the 21 most-voted, although even the organizers had admitted there wasn’t any way to prevent people from voting more than once for their favorite.
UNESCO, The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, keeps a list of World Heritage Sites, which now totals 851 monument. But the UNESCO was not involved in Weber’s project.The traditional seven wonders were mostly concentrated in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern area. That list was copied from the lists compiled by ancient Greek observers who had crafted it in the marvels.
Here are the New Seven Wonders of the World with the description New 7 Wonders of the world website has posted. The list in alphabetical order and not as a reflection of the number of votes received:
The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Chichén Itzá, 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 – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world’s best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.
The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 – 1644 A.D.) China.The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.
Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru .In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu (“old mountain”). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained ‘lost’ for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
Petra (9 B.C. – 40 A.D.), Jordan. On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.
The Roman Colosseum (70 – 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy. This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum’s original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.
The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India. This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
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July 7th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Atlast the excitement over the new 7 wonders has come to an end. It leaves me flummoxed to see people actually believe that this would really be a decider in setting up the new 7 wonders!! Especially when half of the people do not know about the competition and the mobile companies cashing in on the SMSes. Nice way to earn money. Period.
July 7th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
The fact that the The Roman Colosseum still stands is just amazing. While all nominees are worthy, the history and iconic nature of the Colosseum are immeasurable.
July 8th, 2007 at 2:58 am
The grear wall of China,the only man made building to be seen from space
July 8th, 2007 at 8:22 am
Christ Redeemer? Could it be people voted for this simply because it is a symbol of their own religion? Because it certainly isn’t a world wonder. Oh well wouldn’t be the first time people did stupid things for religious reasons.
July 8th, 2007 at 4:43 pm
I am so amazed at “Christ Redeemer”, I have no clue as to how they got that statue up on that mountain… Simply amazing…
July 10th, 2007 at 8:59 am
Chichén Itzá, Great wall of china and petra deserve to be in the seven wonders of the world because of the time and the scale it was built in. Roman Colosseum is ok too but the three above top if for me.