The ancient Greek poet and philosopher Herodotus in the fifth century BC described three unusual creations of human hands that amazed the imagination of his contemporaries. Thus, an account was opened for the ancient wonders of the world.
Other curiosities
Later, in the third century BC, a description of miracles appeared, consisting of seven objects. All of them were created during the heyday of the reign of Emperor Alexander the Great. Until today, only one representative of the rare list has survived - the pyramids of Giza. The rest of the inexorable time buried under the rubble of history. The list of these lost amazing structures is known today to almost every educated person.
The Hanging Gardens were created by King Nebuchadnezzar II as a gift to his beloved wife Semiramide, after whom the unusual building was named. The high multi-tiered structure was planted with a variety of plants and seemed a real miracle for the inhabitants of hot and dusty Babylon. The beautiful building was lost due to numerous floods.
In honor of Zeus - the ruler of the Greek gods - a pompous temple was erected in Olympia. Insideit housed a sculptural figure of a god seated on a throne. The basis of the statue was wood, trimmed on top with plates of gold and ivory. The fire carried away into oblivion a beautiful creation of ancient sculptors.
A golden statue of the fertility goddess Artemis was installed in a white marble temple in the Asian city of Ephesus. The magnificent structure suffered the same fate as the sculpture of Zeus.
The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus is known to posterity as a monumental building in honor of King Mausolus. The building was a cult building serving simultaneously as a tomb, a sanctuary and a monument. From the name of the ancient king came the word "mausoleum". A strong earthquake destroyed the majestic building to the ground.
The statue of the Colossus of Rhodes had a height of about thirty-six meters and was cast in bronze. It was erected in honor of the sun god Helios and destroyed by an earthquake.
Alexandria (or Foros) lighthouse was erected at the entrance to the Alexandria harbor. The structure amazed the sailors with its gigantic size. The height of the lighthouse reached one hundred and fifty meters.
Taj Mahal
Much later, another one was added to the well-known list, the 8th wonder of the world - the Indian mausoleum-mosque Taj Mahal. The majestic and unusually beautiful building of white marble was built by Emperor Shah Jan in the seventeenth century in memory of his wife who died in childbirth. The construction of the tomb lasted almost twenty years. The mausoleum has survived to this day in all its splendor andperfection. This is a real gem of India. Every year the museum is visited by millions of tourists from all over the world.
The Taj Mahal, along with the Egyptian pyramids, is included in the honorary list of "8 wonders of the world" created in the modern world.
Indefatigable human hands continued to build new and extraordinary structures, which in ancient times people could only dream of. Thus was born the idea of creating a new project called "The New 8 Wonders of the World".
The initiator was Bernard Werber, representing the Swiss organization New Open World Corporation. During the year, a survey was conducted among residents of different countries about which of the modern man-made objects they could name among the 8 wonders of the world. The list turned out to be unusually long. People made their choice through Internet voting, SMS messages and phone calls. About a hundred million people expressed their opinion.
The results were summed up in July 2007 and announced in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal. So, the list of modern 8 wonders of the world, in addition to two ancient relics, includes the following buildings and structures.
Great Wall of China
Today it is the largest architectural object in the world. The purpose of the construction was to protect the Chinese empire from external enemies. The total length of the wall is over eight kilometers, and in some places it is up to ten meters high. The Great Wall is rightfully included in the list of "Modern Wonders of the World" because it is the most visited attraction in the world. The number of visitors who want to see the majestic building with their own eyes reaches forty million people a year.
Colosseum
The next in the list of "8 wonders of the world" is the Roman Colosseum. The construction of the amphitheater took place during the reign of the Flavian emperors. Therefore, the building is also called the Flavian Amphitheatre.
In honor of the opening of the arena, a hundred-day fun marathon was announced. For many years, the Colosseum served as a convenient venue for gladiator fights, knightly tournaments and various entertainment events in Rome. This is the most recognizable building - a symbol of modern Rome.
Machu Picchu
The ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, located on the territory of present-day Peru, is also included in the honorary list. This is truly the 8th wonder of the world, the photos of which delight and awe any person.
Visiting the real "city among the clouds" will leave the brightest memories in the soul for a lifetime. Touching the history of the ancient world, modern man feels like a connecting thread between the past and the future of the Earth.
The magnificent stone city of Petra, located in Jordan at an altitude of almost a thousand meters above sea level, is the capital of the ancient Nabatean kingdom. The natural walls of the city are sheer red sandstone cliffs. The height of such walls reaches sixty meters. The name of the city - Petra - is translated as "rock".
Every year over half a million people pass through the rocky gorgestourists. The mystical appearance of the area often attracted the attention of Hollywood directors. Therefore, it was here, in Petra, that some scenes of the famous film about Indiana Jones were filmed.
Great Statue
This is the highest statue of Christ the Redeemer, located at the very top of the Brazilian mountain Corcovado. The monumental building reaches a height of thirty-eight meters. The arm span of the sculpture is thirty meters, and the weight is over a ton. Christ seems to want to embrace the whole world and protect it from grief and trouble. No wonder the statue of God the Redeemer is considered a symbol of Rio de Janeiro.
Tourists who have reached the base of the monument can see a stunning panorama of the city, a beautiful bay and beaches known throughout the world - Ipanema and Copacabana. You can get to the top of the mountain by a miniature railway, which was originally built to deliver building materials.
Chichen Itza
Another of the 8 wonders of the world is the ancient capital of the Mayan state of Chichen Itza, located in Mexico, on the Yucatan Peninsula. The name in translation sounds like “the well of the Itza tribe”. The city was built in the seventh century BC and was considered the religious center of the Maya.
Unfortunately, the UNESCO organization refused to recognize the results of the global survey, considering them biased, since not all the inhabitants of the Earth had the opportunity to express their opinion. There are still many places that are not covered by the Internet and mobile communications.
The Vatican did not agree with the conclusions of the Swiss commission, considering thatthe organizers deliberately did not include monuments of Christian culture in the general list.
Therefore, it is not necessary to consider the eight wonders of the world described above as the only ones. Although Bernard Weber promised to spend half of the money earned from the project on the preservation and maintenance of the declared monuments.
In addition to the above, there are a great many amazing in beauty and majestic in size building objects in the world. Modern technologies have allowed people to create such objects of architecture and construction that it is time to declare them new historical values.
Modern Curiosities
- The list of modern wonders of the world can start with the tallest building in the world - Chicago's Sears Tower, with one hundred and ten floors. The height of the building is more than four hundred meters.
- The building of the Opera House in Sydney, Australia is famous for its unusual architectural form. It is surrounded on three sides by water and resembles a giant sailboat. The roof, built from a large number of snow-white ceramic tiles, glistens, shimmering in the sun and represents raised sails.
- A real work of engineering thought was embodied in the longest tunnel in the world with a length of fifty kilometers. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that the bridge is laid under water. We are talking about the Channel Tunnel, built under the English Channel, and connecting two countries - England and France. An unusual structure can be ranked among the youngest inventions of mankind,because he is only twenty years old.
- Kansai International Japanese Airport can rightfully take pride of place among the unique objects of our time. This magnificent building, created in the spirit of futuristic ideas, was built on an artificial island. The high population density and the scarcity of free land prompted Japanese engineering to create such an unusual facility.
- Man-made island built in Osaka Bay near the city of Honshu. Its length is four kilometers in length, and a little more than one in width. The most advanced technologies were used to build the airport building and create the island.
- The largest Ferris wheel is in Singapore. Its height is one hundred and fifty meters. From the top point there is a magnificent view not only of the city, but also of the neighboring islands.
- The five-star Burj-Al-Arab hotel in Dubai is built in the shape of a sail. It is the hallmark of the city and the pride of engineering. The height of the hotel reaches three hundred twenty-one meters, which brings the building to the first place among the world's hotels.
Conclusion
The list of modern miracles can be long. Only one thing is certain: what seems like science fiction today may become reality in the very near future, surprising and delighting contemporaries.
