The ancient Greek poet and philosopher Herodotus in the fifth century BC described three unusual creations of human hands that struck the imagination of his contemporaries. Thus, an account was opened to the ancient wonders of the world.
Other wonders
Later, in the third century BC, a description of miracles appeared, consisting of already seven objects. All of them were created during the heyday of the reign of Emperor Alexander of Macedon. Until today, only one representative of the rare list has survived - the Giza pyramids. The rest of the inexorable time was buried under the rubble of history. The list of these lost amazing buildings is known today to almost every educated person.
The hanging gardens were created by King Nebuchadnezzar II as a gift to his beloved wife Semiramis, in whose honor an unusual building was named. The high multi-tiered structure was planted with various plants and seemed a real miracle for the inhabitants of the hot and dusty Babylon. The beautiful structure was lost due to numerous floods.
In honor of Zeus - the lord of the Greek gods - a grandiose temple was erected in Olympia. Inside it was a sculptural figure of a god seated on a throne. The base of the statue was a tree trimmed with plates of gold and ivory. The fire carried into oblivion the beautiful creation of ancient sculptors.
A golden statue of the goddess of fertility Artemis was installed in a temple of white marble in the Asian city of Ephesus. The magnificent building suffered the same fate as the sculpture of Zeus.
Halicarnassus Mausoleum is known to descendants as a monumental building in honor of the king of the Mausoleum. The building was a religious building, which simultaneously serves as a tomb, sanctuary and monument. The word "mausoleum" came from the name of the ancient king. A strong earthquake destroyed the magnificent building to the ground.
The statue of Colossus of Rhodes was about thirty-six meters high and was cast in bronze. It was erected in honor of the sun god Helios and destroyed by an earthquake.
The Lighthouse of Alexandria (or Foross) was erected at the entrance to the harbor of Alexandria. The construction hit the sailors with its gigantic size. The lighthouse reached a height of one hundred and fifty meters.
Taj Mahal
Much later, another 8th wonder of the world was added to the well-known list - the Indian mausoleum-Taj Mahal mosque. The majestic and unusually beautiful building of white marble was built by the 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 and perfection. This is the real gem of India. The museum is visited annually 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.
The indefatigable human hands continued to erect new and unusual structures, which in ancient times people could only dream of. So the idea was born of creating a new project called "New 8 Wonders of the World."
The initiator was Bernard Verber, 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 8 wonders of the world. The list was unusually long. People made their choice through online voting, SMS messages and phone calls. About a hundred million people expressed their opinion.
The results were announced in July 2007 and announced in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon. So, the list of modern 8 wonders of the world, in addition to two ancient relics, includes the following buildings and structures.
the 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 wall length is over eight kilometers, and the height in some places reaches ten meters. 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 magnificent structure with their own eyes reaches forty million people a year.
Coliseum
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 dynasty of emperors Flavius. Therefore, the construction is also called the Flavian Amphitheater.
In honor of the opening of the arena, a hundred-day entertainment marathon was announced. The Coliseum for many years served as a convenient venue for gladiatorial battles, knightly tournaments and various spectacular events in Rome. This is the most recognizable building - a symbol of modern Rome.
Machu Picchu
The ancient Inca city of Machu Picchu, located in what is now Peru, is also on the honorary list. This is truly the 8th wonder of the world, a photo of which delight and awe any person.
A visit to this “city among the clouds” will leave the brightest memories for life. Touching the history of the ancient world, modern man feels himself to be 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 cliffs of red sandstone. The height of such walls reaches sixty meters. The name of the city - Petra - is translated as "rock".
Over half a million tourists pass through rocky gorges annually. The mystical view of the area often attracted the attention of Hollywood directors. Therefore, it was here, in Petra, that some scenes of the famous movie 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 structure reaches a height of thirty-eight meters. The reach 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 misfortune. 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 via 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 tribe of Itza." The city was built in the seventh century BC and was considered the Mayan religious center.
Unfortunately, the UNESCO organization refused to recognize the results of the global survey, considering them biased, since not all 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 also did not agree with the conclusions of the Swiss commission, believing that the 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 made a promise to spend half of the money earned from the project to preserve and maintain the declared monuments.
In addition to the above, in the world there are a great many amazing in beauty and magnificent in size construction projects. Modern technology has allowed people to create such objects of architecture and construction that they fit to declare new historical values.
Modern wonders
- The list of modern wonders of the world can be started from the tallest building in the world - the Sears Tower, Chicago, with one hundred and ten floors. The height of the building is more than four hundred meters.
- 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 of a large number of snow-white ceramic tiles, glistens, shimmering, in the sun and is a raised sail.
- The real work of engineering 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. Unusual construction can be considered one of the youngest inventions of mankind, because it 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 lack of free land prompted the Japanese engineers to create such an unusual object.
- The man-made island was built in Osaka Bay near the city of Honshu. Its length is four kilometers, 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. The top point offers a magnificent view not only of the city, but also of the neighboring islands.
- The 5-star Burj-Al-Arab Hotel in Dubai is sail-shaped. It is the hallmark of the city and the pride of engineering. The height of the hotel reaches three hundred twenty-one meters, which puts the building in first place among the world's hotels.
Conclusion
You can list modern miracles for a long time. Only one thing is certain: what seems fiction today can become a reality in the very near future, surprising and delighting contemporaries.