Interesting Facts About The 7 Wonders Of The Modern World

Contrary to popular belief, the Seven Wonders of the World have actually changed over time. The original group was called the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. This is because six of the seven original wonders have sadly been destroyed over time, mainly from natural causes. The only one still standing is the Great Pyramid of Giza, which remains an honorary wonder.

So without further ado, let’s take a look at the Seven Wonders of the World!

Chichen Itza

This primitive Mayan city is located on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. While it is a popular tourist attraction, it is still an active archeological site with new discoveries being made from time to time. It is estimated that Chichen Itza was built between the 9th and 12th centuries, with the area previously used as an observatory to survey astronomical events.

Petra

Believe it or not, that impressive ancient city that you saw in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a real place! Petra, located in Jordan, is a massive city built into sandstone that was once home to around 10,000 people.

Ancient citizens of Petra were incredibly skilled in harvesting rainwater, agriculture, and stone carving. The latter is represented by the 800 buildings, tombs, baths, funerary halls, temples, arched gateways, and streets within Petra that were mainly carved from stone.

The Colosseum Amphitheater

Located in the heart of ancient Rome, the Colosseum is one of Italy’s most visited tourist attractions. Dating back to around 80 A.D., this structure remains the largest amphitheater in the world.

Admittedly, the history of the Colosseum is a brutal one. Impressive as it is, it was built by tens of thousands of slaves with stone and concrete. Once completed, it could seat about 50,000 spectators who watched the events inside – usually gladiatorial combat, animal hunts, and even naval battles.

The Taj Mahal Mausoleum

As the world’s most famous mausoleum, the Taj Mahal is India’s most popular attraction. This marble monument was commissioned in 1632 by the emperor at the time as a tomb for his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The construction took just over 20 years to complete and cost around US$827 million. It also took about 20,000 artisans, as well as a thousand elephants to help with the transport of heavy materials.

The Taj Mahal wasn’t just ornate, but cleverly built, too. For example, it was designed so that everything would fall away from the tomb in the event of a collapse.

Machu Picchu

This old Inca citadel located in Peru is surrounded by mystery. Constructed in the mid-1400s, Machu Picchu went undiscovered by Europeans until 1911. Even the Spanish conquistadors who decimated the Inca Empire never came close to finding it.

The construction of Machu Picchu is a mind-blowing feat in itself. It was built with granite rocks, some weighing over 55 tons (49.9 tonnes). The stones were either pushed up the mountain by pure manpower or chiseled directly from the side of the mountain.

Christ The Redeemer

The most recently built Wonder is the statue of Christ in Brazil which only took five years to build, with completion in 1931. Inspiration for the statue was drawn from fear among Catholics who were worried that the nation was increasing in “godlessness.”

The Great Wall of China

At about 13,200 miles (21,200 km) long, this impressive wall took over 200 years to build. It was mainly erected to protect China from attacks from northern tribes, such as the Mongolians. Most of the original wall doesn’t exist because it is constantly being restored and rebuilt due to its age. Between natural erosion and tourism, it is in a state of rapid decline. Because of its huge size, it’s nearly impossible to maintain the entire wall.