One of the greatest man-made creations ever created by mankind is rightly considered the Great Wall of China. This truly grandiose building from time immemorial has become a symbol of the Celestial Empire, and at all times attracts many tourists. The history of the Great Wall of China begins from the distant V century BC, when the Chinese ruler Qin Shi-Huangdi began the construction of the first fortress walls as self-defense, during the "Warring Kingdoms". They were located north of the modern buildings and practically did not survive to our times. The fortification that is known to all of us was built during the reign of the Chinese imperial Ming Dynasty.
The construction of the wall continued during the reign of four imperial dynasties:
- Qin (208 B.C.)
- Han (I century BC);
- 10 Kingdoms and 5 Dynasties (1138-1198 gg.);
- under Emperor Hun and before the reign of Wanli from the imperial Ming Dynasty (until 1620).
In general, the Great Wall of China (the history of its construction) has about 2100 years. According to various estimates, more than 8 million Chinese took part in its construction. Moreover, it is worth noting that the building is considered the largest cemetery in the world, since for all time it has become the last refuge for more than three million people.
Its total length is about 6700 km, and taking into account all kinds of branches - 8900 km. The height in different places is 6-10 meters. The main section of the wall practically repeats the border of Inner Mongolia and runs from the eastern city of Shanhaiguan to the western province of Lop Nur.
The Great Wall of China was so wide that several equestrian riders could easily pass through it, so often it performed not only a defensive function, but also served as a high-speed road. And with the help of smoke signals, the sentries informed the capital about the attack of the enemy troops.
Before the use of bricks, wood, stones or rammed earth were used as building material, so initially the reinforcement was not very strong. During the Ming Dynasty, bricks, as well as lime and stone, were already used for construction. Since it became much more convenient to work with bricks, the construction began at an accelerated pace. However, stone blocks were still much stronger than the above materials, so they were squared to a rectangular shape and laid in the foundation and the external and internal edges of the wall. The dimensions of some of them reached four meters. To build three fragments of the wall used purple marble. Two of them are located in the city of Jian'an, and one in the highlands of Baiyangyu. These are the most beautiful and strong walls.
The Great Wall of China has defensive forts throughout the structure. Each tower, in turn, was led by a narrow single staircase and a small gate. Cogs were installed on the walls through which warriors could observe the enemy. Ammunition was stored in signal towers. For a better overview, they were erected on mountain peaks and other high points of the landscape. However, the main feature of the construction was the direct visibility from each tower of two neighboring ones, which made it possible to quickly transmit messages about the onset of enemy troops with the help of fire and smoke. There were also loopholes in the walls, the height of which was approximately 30 cm, and the width - about 23 cm.
Until 1664, the Great Wall of China was an almost insurmountable obstacle for those who tried to leave China or get into it. Throughout the entire construction, control points were established that were closed at night and no one, not even the emperor, had the right to violate this order. The borders of China could not be left without permission. However, after the conquest of the Celestial Empire by the Manchus, the need for a wall disappeared. Bricks began to be plundered by local peasants, and over time, the once Great Wall of China fell into complete decline.
Today, the Wall is included in the list of objects protected by UNESCO, as well as in the Seven Medieval Wonders of the World.