Which Babylonian structure is considered the 7th wonder of the world? Wonders of the world: how many there were and how many have survived. Petra - the pearl of Jordan
Last week, I went to visit my mother, and found my old children’s encyclopedia “7 Wonders of the World” from her, I leafed through it with nostalgia, and in the end I decided to make a post about the wonders of the world, because today there are many more than 7 wonders of the world.
To begin with, I propose to recall these “7 wonders” of antiquity.
The only miracle that has survived to this day. Construction, which lasted twenty years, began around 2560 BC. e. Excavation data from January 2010 confirm the theory that the pyramids were built by civilian workers. Up to 10 thousand people were simultaneously employed at the construction site, with workers working in shifts of three months. It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids of the Giza necropolis.
Initially, the Cheops pyramid rose to 147 meters, but due to the advance of sands, its height decreased to 137 meters.
The Cheops Pyramid consists of 2,300,000 cubic blocks of limestone with smoothly polished sides. Each block weighs on average 2.5 tons, and the heaviest is 15 tons, the total weight of the pyramid is 5.7 million tons.
Confirmation of the inexplicably high knowledge of the Egyptians in the field of astronomy and civil engineering is the location of the Cheops pyramid in relation to the cardinal points: the pyramid almost unmistakably points to the true north. As a result of precise measurements carried out in 1925, an incredible fact was established: the error in its position was only 3 minutes 6 seconds.
The base area of the pyramid is comparable to the area of 10 football fields.
We can talk for a long time about the pyramids shrouded in myths and legends, their labyrinths and traps, mummies and treasures, but let’s leave that to Egyptologists. For us, the Cheops Pyramid is one of the greatest structures of mankind throughout its existence and, of course, the only First Wonder of the World that has survived to this day from the depths of centuries.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)
The city has long ceased to exist, but even today the ruins testify to its grandeur. In the 7th century BC. Babylon was the largest and richest city of the Ancient East. There were many amazing structures in Babylon, but most striking were the hanging gardens of the royal palace - gardens that became a legend.
the famous “Hanging Gardens” were not created by Semiramis and not even during her reign, but later, in honor of another - non-legendary - woman. They were built by order of King Nebuchadnezzar for his beloved wife Amytis, a Median princess who, in dusty Babylon, yearned for the green hills of Media.
This king, who destroyed city after city and even entire states, built a lot in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar turned the capital into an impregnable stronghold and surrounded himself with luxury unparalleled even in those times.
The design of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was a pyramid with a base (43x35 meters), which consisted of four tiers mounted on twenty-five-meter columns. The surface of each tier was covered with a layer of reeds (reeds), stone blocks held together with gypsum and lead plates, on which a thick layer of fertile soil was poured. All these measures helped to preserve water for plants for as long as possible, of which there was very little in Babylon.
The height of the structure was almost thirty meters! Trees, flowers, soil - all this was brought in carts drawn by oxen. Water was supplied through pipes from the Euphrates River. To do this, hundreds of slaves turned a huge wheel installed in one of the towers around the clock.
Zeus statue in Olympia
The statue of Olympian Zeus is the work of Phidias. An outstanding work of ancient sculpture, one of the seven wonders of the world. It was located in the temple of Olympian Zeus, in Olympia - a city in the region of Elis. Construction of the temple took about 10 years. But the statue of Zeus did not appear in it right away. The Greeks decided to invite the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias to create a statue of Zeus.
Ancient Roman sculpture "Seated Zeus", Phidias type. Hermitage Gold covered the cape that covered part of Zeus’s body, the scepter with an eagle, which he held in his left hand, the statue of the goddess of victory - Nike, which he held in his right hand, and a wreath of olive branches on Zeus’s head. Zeus's feet rested on a stool supported by two lions. The reliefs of the throne glorified, first of all, Zeus himself. Four dancing Nikes were depicted on the legs of the throne. Centaurs, lapiths, the exploits of Theseus and Hercules, and frescoes depicting the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons were also depicted. The base of the statue was 6 meters wide and 1 meter high. The height of the entire statue together with the pedestal was, according to various sources, from 12 to 17 meters. Zeus's eyes were the size of an adult's fist.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (Ephesus)
Several hundred years BC, when Ephesus was at the zenith of its glory, the inhabitants decided to build a large temple. By that time, the city was already about 600 years old, it was rich and powerful, growing and prospering under the patronage of the goddess Artemis, sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus - known in Roman mythology as Diana the Huntress. Artemis was also considered the goddess of the moon and helped women during childbirth.
The place for the new, majestic and grandiose temple in the part of the goddess was chosen as sacred - even in ancient times, religious rituals took place there. The townspeople decided not to spare either money or time, and also attracted wealthy construction sponsors from other regions of the country.
The finished temple was magnificent, and was constantly decorated with new decorative elements - after all, Ephesus was a very rich city. Historical data is contradictory, but it is mentioned that the temple had many bronze statues, the interior was decorated with gold and silver, the statue of the goddess herself was made of ivory and gold, and trimmed with ebony.
It is noteworthy that in those days the temple was not only a religious building, but also a financial and business center. The souvenir business also flourished: not far from the temple, original souvenirs - its smaller copies - were successfully sold. Scientists still have not figured out which temple was considered a wonder of the world - rebuilt or burned by Herostratus
mausoleum in Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum in Halicarnassus is a wonderful monument of ancient Greek architectural art, which went down in the history of ancient culture as one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Our contemporaries generally believe that the mausoleum is the tomb of great leaders.
The builders placed the tomb in the peripterus - a building framed by a colonnade of 11-meter columns. To support the roof of the mausoleum, 36 columns were needed. The spaces between the columns were filled with various statues of mythological figures, and the roof looked like a step pyramid with 24 steps. Its crown was a marble quadriga, that is, an antique chariot with four horses harnessed to it. Huge statues of Mausolus and Artemisia were placed in the chariot, playing the role of charioteers. This magnificent sculpture reached a height of 6 m. In the tomb room there were marble sarcophagi intended for the royal couple. The foot of the mausoleum was decorated with sculptures of horsemen and marble lions.
In general, the history of the Halicarnassus mausoleum is eventful. At one time, he survived the conquest of the city by Alexander the Great, and even withstood the attack of pirates who set their sights on Halicarnassus at the beginning of the 1st century. However, after the Maltese attacked the mausoleum and took away stone and marble slabs from it, only the foundation remained of the majestic structure.
Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes)
The colossus was the name given to a giant statue that stood in the port city of Rhodes, an island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of modern Turkey. In ancient times, the people of Rhodes wanted to be independent traders.
The colossus grew on the shore of the harbor on an artificial hill lined with white marble. For twelve years no one saw the statue, because as soon as the next belt of bronze sheets was attached to the frame, the embankment surrounding the colossus was added to make it more convenient for the craftsmen to climb up. And only when the embankment was removed, the Rhodians saw their patron god, whose head was adorned with a radiant crown.
The sparkling god was visible many kilometers from Rhodes, and soon rumors about him spread throughout the ancient world. But half a century later, a strong earthquake that destroyed Rhodes knocked the colossus to the ground; the most vulnerable point of the statue was its knees. This is where the expression “colossus with feet of clay” comes from.
So the colossus lay on the shore of the bay - the main tourist attraction of the island. The defeated giant was seen by Pliny the Elder, who came there in the first century AD. What struck Pliny most was that only a few people could wrap their hands around the thumb of the statue.
The colossus lying on the ground was overgrown with cobwebs and legends. In eyewitness accounts, he seemed much larger than he actually was. Legends appeared in Roman literature that it originally towered over the entrance to the harbor and was so large that ships passed between its legs to the city.
Alexandria Lighthouse (Pharos)
The Lighthouse of Alexandria (Faros Lighthouse) is one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, built in the 3rd century BC. e. on the small island of Pharos off the coast of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It was a busy port founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e.
The Alexandria Lighthouse was the world's first lighthouse and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that served a practical purpose, helping ships safely pass the reefs on their way to Alexandria Bay. The lighthouse, according to various estimates, rose to a height of 120 to 140 meters, and the light it emitted could be visible at a distance of up to 60 km.
The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but by the 12th century AD. e., the Alexandria Bay became so silted that ships could no longer use it and the lighthouse fell into disrepair. Abandoned, it stood for some time, until in 796 AD. e. it was not destroyed by an earthquake. At the end of the 15th century. Sultan Qait Bey erected a fortress from the rubble on the site of the lighthouse, which was subsequently rebuilt more than once.
These are the miracles that were described in my book. The same ones: 7 wonders. But time does not stand still, and now there are many more such miracles. It seems to me that they are also worthy of our attention...
New 7 wonders of the world
Great Wall of China (China)
The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest architectural monuments in China and a symbol of the power of Chinese civilization. There is probably not a single civilized person in the world who has not heard of the Great Wall of China. It stretches from the Liaodong Gulf northeast of Beijing through Northern China to the Gobi Desert.
Construction took 10 years and faced numerous difficulties. The main problem was the lack of appropriate infrastructure for construction: there were no roads, there was no adequate water and food for those involved in the work, while their number reached 300 thousand people, and the total number of builders involved under Qin reached, according to some estimates, 2 million. Slaves, soldiers, and peasants were involved in the construction. As a result of epidemics and overwork, at least tens of thousands of people died. Outrage against the mobilization for the construction of the wall caused popular uprisings and served as one of the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty.
Probably, no creation of human hands amazes the imagination as much as the Great Wall of China - the most grandiose and longest architectural and fortification structure on the planet. The wall is not just impressive - it is stunning. First of all, the titanic labor invested in it and its prohibitive size. Truly, only the Chinese, organized and hardworking like ants, could endure this. In China they say that a good half of their history lies in the Great Wall of China - it was built by different generations and dynasties over more than two thousand years, and all the country’s wars are connected with it in one way or another.
Christ the Redeemer Statue (Rio de Janeiro)
One of the most famous statues in the world and certainly the most recognizable in Brazil is the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Installed on Mount Corcovado at an altitude of more than 700 meters, she looks at the huge city below her with outstretched arms in a gesture of blessing. The Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro, due to its fame, attracts millions of tourists to Mount Corcovado. From its height there is a beautiful view of the city of ten million with its bays, beaches, and the Maracana stadium.
The height of the statue is 38 m, including the pedestal - 8 m; arm span - 28 m. Weight - 1145 tons. Being the highest point in the area, the statue regularly (on average four times a year) becomes the target of lightning. The Catholic diocese specially keeps a supply of the stone from which the statue was built to restore parts of the statue damaged by lightning
The statue of Christ the Redeemer is without a doubt one of the main symbols not only of Rio de Janeiro, but of all of Brazil. Many tourists visit the statue every year. Mount Corcovado experiences a particularly large influx of visitors during the traditional annual carnival, which is held in Rio de Janeiro. Definitely, this grandiose monument is one of the greatest works of sculpture in the world.
Colosseum (Rome)
amphitheater, an architectural monument of Ancient Rome, the most famous and one of the most grandiose buildings of the ancient world that have survived to this day. Located in Rome, in the hollow between the Esquiline, Palatine and Caelian hills.
The construction of the largest amphitheater in the entire ancient world, with a capacity of over 50 thousand people, took place over eight years as a collective construction of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty. It began to be built in 72 AD. under Emperor Vespasian, and in 80 AD. The amphitheater was consecrated by Emperor Titus. The amphitheater was located on the site where there was a pond that belonged to the Golden House of Nero.
For a long time, the Colosseum was for the residents of Rome and visitors the main place for entertainment spectacles, such as gladiator fights, animal persecution, and naval battles.
The opening of the Colosseum was marked by 100 days of entertainment. During this time, several thousand warriors and 5 thousand wild animals brought from Africa died in gladiatorial tournaments. The theater's arena had a sliding floor that raised and lowered, and with the help of a water supply connected to the Colosseum, the stage was filled with water and naval battles were staged. Up to 3,000 gladiators could fight in the arena at the same time, and 50 thousand spectators, frantically demanding “bread and circuses,” tensely watched the bloody battles, chariot races and theatrical performances. The scale of the celebrations dedicated to the opening of the Colosseum could only be matched by the bloody celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Rome in 248, when dozens of lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, giraffes, horses, donkeys and hyenas were killed in just 3 days. The 1000th anniversary of the “eternal city” became the last day of life for 2000 gladiators.
Machu Picchu (Peru)
A city of ancient America, located on the territory of modern Peru. Machu Picchu is also often called “the city in the sky” or “the city among the clouds”, sometimes called the “lost city of the Incas”. This city was created as a sacred mountain retreat by the great Inca ruler Pachacutec a century before the conquest of his empire, around 1440, and functioned until 1532, when the Spanish invaded the Inca Empire. In 1532, all its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared.
Due to its modest size, Machu Picchu cannot claim to be a large city - it has no more than 200 buildings. These are mainly temples, residences, warehouses and other premises for public needs. For the most part they are made of well-processed stone, slabs tightly fitted to each other. It is believed that up to 1,200 people lived in and around it, who worshiped the sun god Inti there and cultivated crops on the terraces. For more than 400 years, this city was forgotten and was in desolation.
Machu Picchu, especially after receiving UNESCO World Heritage status, has become a center of mass tourism. In 2011, it was decided to limit the number of visitors. According to new rules, only 2,500 tourists per day can visit Machu Picchu, of which no more than 400 people can climb Mount Wayna Picchu, which is part of the archaeological complex. In order to preserve the monument, UNESCO requires that the number of tourists per day be reduced to 800. Machu Picchu is located in a remote region.
City of Petra (Jordan)
The city of Petra in Jordan is located in the heart of the desert. This place is the heritage of an ancient culture. Built more than two thousand years ago, it is of great value for admirers of ancient architecture and art. This ancient miracle city stretches along a winding valley formed among the rocks, on a site that was a river bed in ancient times. Steps carved into the rocks lead to an innumerable number of structures - monuments, necropolises, reservoirs, altars. More than eight hundred monuments of Petra have survived to this day.
Petra's surviving structures include rock-cut temples, dwellings, tombs, reservoirs, aqueducts and altars. If you approach the city along the es-Siq gorge, the first large monument that opens up to your gaze is el-Khazneh - a temple located in a solid rock with a two-tiered façade approx. 20 m.
A mysterious people who have reached unattainable architectural heights are the Nabateans. Without exaggeration, we can say that the best reminder that they left about themselves to their descendants and which speaks about them better than any chronicles is a windswept pink rock masterpiece, hidden by them among the inaccessible mountains.
Pyramid of Kukulcan (Mexico)
25 meters high with nine levels, located in the center of a large square. The base of the pyramid is a square with sides of 55.5 meters. On each side of the pyramid there are four wide staircases, each with 91 steps. And these stairs lead to the upper platform on which the temple is located.
The northern staircase of the pyramid ends with snake heads - a symbol of Kukulkan, because translated from the Mayan language, Kukulkan is a feathered serpent.
Exactly at 17:15, the light show begins - the sun's rays, when going around the ledges of the pyramid on the days of the equinox, through the play of light and shadows, depict the image of a revived ancient god. This effect lasts for 3 hours and 22 minutes. The sun goes lower and the image becomes clearer. Soon the seven curves of the body of the Solar Serpent become visible - they are formed by the shadows of the seven ledges of the pyramid. The sun goes down - and the snake also slides, lower and lower. And below, at the foot of the pyramid, the head of the image coincides with the real stone sculptured head of the serpent, which ends the northern staircase of the pyramid.
The ancient builders of the Mayan tribe were simply brilliant, being able to calculate the parameters so accurately at that time and placing the walls of the pyramid strictly along the cardinal points. The Kukulcan Pyramid has some astronomical significance. Each of its staircases has 91 steps, and the total number of steps is 364, plus the upper platform step at the base of the temple, for a total of 365 - a number corresponding to the number of days in a year. And the side parts of the structure are divided in accordance with the number of months in the Mayan calendar - into eighteen sections.
Taj Mahal (India)
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum-mosque located in Agra, India, on the banks of the Jamna River (the architects were probably Ustad-Isa and others). Built by order of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth (Shah Jahan himself was later buried here). Although the white marble dome of the mausoleum is the most famous component, the Taj Mahal is a structurally integrated complex. The building began to be built around 1632 and was completed in 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The management of the construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a Council of Architects under imperial control, including Abd ul-Karim Mamur Khan, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lakhauri is usually considered the main designer.
Majestic, divine, shining, and, despite its 74-meter height, so light and airy that it is like a fairy-tale dream, the Taj Mahal mausoleum rises in the valley of the Yamuna River - the most beautiful architectural creation of India, and, perhaps, of the whole earth... White marble domes soar high into the sky - one large and four small ones, in the chaste outlines of which one can guess the female form. Reflected in the motionless surface of an artificial canal, the Taj Mahal seems to float in front of us, representing an example of extraterrestrial beauty and perfect harmony... But it is not only architectural perfection that attracts millions of travelers from all over the world to the Taj Mahal. The story of its origin makes no less impression on the hearts of people... A story more like an oriental fairy tale or legend that any poet would envy...
Many things that are familiar to you and me are in one way or another connected with the number 7.
These are the seven days of the week, seven notes, seven deadly sins, seven sacred church sacraments, “flower - seven flowers,” Snow White and the seven dwarfs, and many others. The number 7 is considered symbolic and lucky by many peoples. In ancient civilizations (Babylonian, ancient Greek) it denoted the completeness, perfection of the world, the sum of its main components (4 parts of the world and the basis of life in the person of parents and children). The city of Rome was built on 7 hills. To describe all such examples you need to spend a lot of time, so let’s move on to describing the history of occurrence 7 Wonders of the World.
The first mentions of the wonders of the world appeared in Ancient Greece. So the historian and philosopher Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century. BC, listed 3 wonders of the world:
1) Temple of the goddess Hera on the island of Samos;
2) An aqueduct delivering water through a system of tunnels (Samos Island);
3) A dam protecting the port from sea storms (Samos Island).
Since then, people increasingly began to describe the most grandiose and significant architectural buildings, so Herodotus’ list was completely updated and expanded two centuries later.
The writer from Sidon (Phenicia) Antipater, in the third century BC, became the author of a new list 7 Wonders of the World the ancient world, which has reached our time almost unchanged. Traveling to different countries, he left reviews about each of them, paying special attention to the most important architectural monuments. He could only tell us about those architectural masterpieces that were not destroyed by natural disasters or military actions, otherwise the list of wonders of the world could have become much more voluminous. Also in the classical interpretation of the list 7 Wonders of the World, did not include structures built by man later than the 3rd century BC.
Thus, such grandiose man-made architectural projects as: Tower of Babel, walls of the city of Babylon, Library of Alexandria, Palace of Cyrus in Persepolis, Acropolis of Athens with a statue of the goddess Athena, Temple of King Solomon, Roman Colosseum, Capitol and many others.
Let's move on to the description miracles Sveta in the classic version according to chronology.
1) The Pyramid of Cheops, built by the Egyptians around 2550 BC. AD. Located in the Giza Valley (Egypt), and intended as a tomb for Pharaoh Cheops. This is one of seven wonders of the world, which has been preserved almost in its original form to this day and is very popular among tourists from all over the world.
2) Hanging Gardens of Babylon, were built around 600 BC. AD in the city of Babylon, (modern Iraq). The gardens were presented as a gift to the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar II. This architectural monument has not survived to this day, as it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years after its construction.
3) Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built in 550 BC. AD Greeks, Lydians and Persians near the city of Ephesus (Türkiye). This temple was built in honor of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was plundered and destroyed 2 times (first by Herostratus in 370 BC, and then by Gothic tribes in the 3rd century AD). As a result of the fire, the temple was completely burned down.
4) Zeus statue, created by the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias in 435 BC. was originally installed in Olympia (Greece), where the Olympic Games were held every 4 years, in the Temple of Zeus. The god Zeus is depicted as a statue seated on a throne, holding a scepter on which Zeus' messenger Eagle is located. The temple statue, impressive in its size, execution and cost, was destroyed during a fire that occurred at the Hippodrome of the city of Constantinople in the 5th century AD.
5) mausoleum in Halicarnassus erected jointly by Carian, Persian and Greek architects in 351 BC. under the leadership of the architect Pytheas. The mausoleum was the tomb of the ruler of Caria - King Mausolus and his wife, Artemisia, and was located near the city of Halicarnassus (Turkey). Only architectural fragments and the foundation of the mausoleum, destroyed in 1494 by a strong earthquake, have survived to this day. Miraculously, 2 statues survived - King Masol and Queen Artemisia. They are currently kept in the British Museum in London.
6) The Colossus of Rhodes a huge 18-meter statue in a bronze case, dedicated to the sun god Helios, in honor of the victory of the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes (Greece) over the troops of Demetrius Polyocretos in 304 BC. The work was completed in 280 BC. The statue stood for just over 66 years, after which several elements of the statue fell off during an earthquake. In the 7th century AD the bronze body of the statue was completely dismantled.
7) Alexandrian lighthouse, erected in the 3rd century. BC. at the direction of Alexander the Great. The lighthouse was located on the island of Pharos, near the newly built city of Alexandria (Egypt). It was a grandiose architectural structure more than 130 meters in height. It was crowned with a statue of the god Zeus. The lighthouse made it possible to navigate not only during the day, but also at night. From the name of the island on which it was located (Pharos) in the 19th century. lighting devices for cars were named - headlights. Having stood for more than a millennium, the lighthouse nevertheless fell under the pressure of the elements. In 783 AD. The lighthouse of Alexandria was destroyed by a strong earthquake. And in its place in the 15th century. The Turks built a fortress that remains to this day.
The Seven Wonders of the World are the oldest architectural monuments, which are rightfully considered the greatest creations of human hands. The number 7 was chosen for a reason. It belonged to Apollo and was a symbol of completeness, completeness and perfection. At the same time, the traditional genre of Hellenistic poetry was the glorification of a list of the most famous cultural figures - poets, philosophers, kings, generals, etc., or outstanding architectural monuments.
The first mentions of the Wonders of the World are found precisely in this era, when the victorious troops of Alexander the Great had already marched across Europe. The wide dissemination of Greek culture in the territories that were part of the states that the great commander conquered ensured the great popularity of individual monuments and architectural structures. But it should be noted that the “selection” of miracles occurred gradually. Some names replaced others, and today the list of the most majestic works of art and architecture includes:
Briefly about everything
Historians and scientists believe that the most ancient is the first attraction - Egyptian pyramids. A distinctive feature of this Wonder of the World is that it is the only one that has survived to this day in almost its original form. The construction of the Pyramids of Giza dates back to approximately 1983 BC, and the largest structure of the complex is the tomb of Cheops.
The rest of the Wonders of the World were not so lucky, and only the ruins of some of them have survived to this day. Eg, Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were created in the 6th century BC, were destroyed by floods in the 2nd century. But even the dilapidated remains of this majestic structure are breathtaking.
Statue of Zeus from Olympia, created around 435 BC. by the famous ancient sculptor Phidias, burned down almost a thousand years later in Constantinople. Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was erected in 550 BC, but after two centuries it was also destroyed by a severe fire.
Halicarnassus Mausoleum created by the architect Pytheas in 351 BC. In 1494, earthquakes occurred in southwestern Turkey, after which only the foundations and architectural fragments of the structure were preserved. Concerning Colossus of Rhodes, built at the beginning of the 3rd century BC. Greeks, it fell as a result of a series of powerful earthquakes somewhere between 224 and 225 BC.
Alexandrian lighthouse, built in the 3rd century BC. at the direction of the ruling Ptolemaic dynasty, it is the pinnacle of engineering and technical thought of that time. The structure lasted until 1480, providing reliable lighting to the coastal waters. In the 15th century, the lighthouse was partially destroyed by an earthquake.
We can talk endlessly about each of the Seven Wonders of the World. Every schoolchild knows about them. Ancient epics and ancient legends are associated with them. Each of them is covered in a shadow of mystery and uncertainty. But one thing can be said with all confidence - these are the most significant monuments of civilization of all that humanity has managed to create.
The primacy of compiling a list of the 7 Seven Wonders of the Ancient World is attributed to Antipater of Sidon, who sang them for centuries in his poem:
I saw your walls, Babylon, on which there is spacious
And chariots; I saw Zeus at Olympia,
Miracle of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, Colossus of Helios
And the pyramids are the work of many and hard labors;
I know Mausolus, a huge tomb. But I just saw
I am the palace of Artemis, the roof raised to the clouds,
Everything else faded before him; outside Olympus
The sun does not see beauty equal to it anywhere.
At different times, with the construction of new buildings, they tried to change the list of 7 wonders of the world of antiquity, but in the final version, only the Lighthouse of Alexandria appeared among the new ones, which eclipsed the greatness of the walls of Babylon.
Some include here all the pyramids of Egypt, some of the great pyramids of Giza, but for the most part only the largest of them, the Pyramid of Cheops, is perceived as a miracle. The pyramid is also considered the oldest miracle on the list - its construction is estimated around 2000 BC. Despite its old age, this is the only structure of the 7 old wonders of the world that has survived to our times.
Created by order of the king of desert Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, for his wife, these gardens were supposed to console her and remind her of her distant homeland. The name of Semiramis, the Assyrian queen, appeared here by mistake, but, nevertheless, was firmly entrenched in history.
The statue was created for a temple in the major religious center of Ancient Greece - Olympia. The giant Zeus of the sculptor Phidias amazed the local residents so much that they decided that Zeus himself personally posed for the master.
In the ancient large port city of Ephesus, the goddess of fertility Artemis was especially revered. In honor of her, a huge and majestic temple was created here, which was included in the list of 7 ancient wonders of the world.
The rich king Mausolus wished to erect a mausoleum-temple in Halicarnassus, incomparable in beauty. The best craftsmen of that time worked on the construction. The work ended only after the death of Mavsol, but this did not prevent him from going down in history forever.
In honor of the great victory, the inhabitants of Rhodes decided to build a huge statue of the god Helios. The plan was carried out, but this miracle did not last long, and was soon destroyed by an earthquake.
To navigate ships near the large port of Alexandria, it was decided to build the largest lighthouse at that time. The building immediately eclipsed the walls of Babylon and took a place on the list of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
They are called "the new seven wonders of the world" » , monuments that won an international competition held by the New Open World Corporation, inspired by the list of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The initiative came from Swiss director Bernard Weber.The vote was public, in which more than one hundred million people took part. It was the first mass voting via the Internet, telephones and text messages in history, open to participants around the world. The ceremony announcing the new miracles was broadcast live on more than 160 television channels in more than 170 countries. Of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, six have been declared World Heritage Sites by UNESCO.
So, let's start getting acquainted with the seven new wonders of the world.
This wonder of the world is located in a narrow valley, on the edge of the Arabian Desert, between the mountains south of the Dead Sea. The city of Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Empire, ruled by King Aretas IV (9 BC to 40 AD). Peter's most famous remains are certainly his rock-cut structures; in particular the buildings known as Khazneh (treasury) and Deir (monastery).
Petra, which means "stone" in Greek, survived for so many years thanks to the fact that most of its "buildings" were carved into solid stone walls. This is perhaps the most fascinating ancient city that has stood to this day. It was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. Petra has also been named a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is part of the New 7 Wonders of the World.
This new wonder of the world was built between 220 BC. and 1644 AD The purpose of this construction was the need to link existing fortifications into a single defense system in order to defend the country from the invasion of Mongol tribes. It is the largest monument ever built by man and the only one visible from space. The wall is estimated to be 8,851 kilometers long, from the Korean border to the edge of the Yalu River in the Gobi Desert, and is 6 to 7 meters high and 4 to 5 meters wide. At the peak of the Ming era, the wall was guarded by more than one million warriors.
Declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, this monument is considered the largest cemetery in the world (about 10 million workers died during construction), and is now one of the new wonders of the world.
3. Taj Mahal in Agra
The Taj Mahal was created between 1631 and 1654 in the city of Agra, in the state of Uttar Pradesh on the banks of the Yamuna River, by order of Shah Jahan, the fifth Mughal Emperor, in memory of his beloved late wife. This mausoleum consists of four minarets, each with over 13 floors. It is estimated that 20,000 workers were needed for its construction.
Built with white marble, set against a backdrop of gardens, this new wonder of the world is considered the perfect jewel of Muslim art in India, and combines elements of Indian, Persian, Islamic and even Turkish architecture. Please note that the Taj Mahal is included in our list " «.
Fun fact: Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan was overthrown by one of his children and ended up contemplating and admiring the Taj Mahal from his window for the rest of his days.
4. Colosseum in Rome
Roman Empire amphitheater, built in the first century, in the center of Rome. In ancient times it had a capacity for 50,000 spectators and was the largest amphitheater ever built in the empire. Construction began in 70 AD by Emperor Vespasian, was completed in 80 by Emperor Titus, and some changes were made during the reign of Domitian. The place is dedicated to public entertainment such as gladiator fights, various performances, etc. Currently, it is not only one of the most famous, but also a new wonder of the world.
5. Chichen Itza in Mexico
7. Christ the Redeemer Statue in Rio de Janeiro
Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro is a symbol of love and a call to brotherhood. The statue is located at an altitude of 709 meters above sea level and is located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, on the top of Mount Corcovado. The total height is 38 m, 8 belong to the pedestal. This new wonder of the world was built on October 12, 1931, after about five years of work.
The creation of this religious monument in the city was first proposed by a priest in 1859 Pedro Maria Boss and Princess Elizabeth. The idea was revived in 1921, on the eve of the centenary of Independence Day.
CANDIDATES FOR NEW WONDERS OF THE WORLD
There are other beautiful places in the world that could have been on the list of the new seven wonders of the world, but were not included. Therefore, I think it will be interesting to learn about them, at least in the photo.
- Pyramids of Giza in Cairo
