Travel The Seven Wonders of the World

The first ‘seven wonders of the ancient world’ list was made more than 2,000 years ago, but over the course of many centuries most of these wonders were destroyed. So, in 2001, the New7Wonders Foundation set out to find a new list for the modern era, asking over 100 million people for their votes. The result was seven new wonders of the world, spanning four continents.

Which are on your bucket list?

1. Machu Picchu, Peru

Perched high in Peru’s Andes mountain range, Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca citadel dating back to the fifteenth century. The mysterious maze of buildings, plazas and platforms was only discovered 100 years ago and continues to bewilder historians and archaeologists – who are still to this day struggling to understand its original purpose.

2. Taj Mahal, India

The Taj Mahal is India’s most iconic symbol. Shah Jahan, king of the Mughal empire from 1628 – 1658, employed over 20,000 people to build the mausoleum as a monument to his beloved wife, who died in childbirth. A marble tomb in the centre is surrounded by forty-two acres of grounds, where gardens, a mosque, guest house and pool complete the complex.

3. The Great Wall of China, China

The world’s largest and most impressive man-made structure, the Great Wall was built to protect China from invasion and to guard its Silk Road trade. Taking a staggering 2,000 years to finish, the structure snakes its way along mountain ridges, valleys and hills for over 13,000 miles.

4. Petra, Jordan

Half-carved into vibrant red, white, pink and sandstone cliff faces, the prehistoric city of Petra in Jordan was ‘lost’ to the Western world for hundreds of years. Once a thriving trading centre and the ancient capital of the Nabataean empire, the city sat empty and in near ruin for centuries before being rediscovered by a European traveller in the 1800s.

5. The Colosseum in Rome, Italy

An impressive feat of engineering, The Colosseum in Rome was built in the first century. The amphitheatre was once capable of holding 50,000 spectators, who watched a variety of events – including gladiator fights. According to some estimates, about 500,000 people died in the Colosseum, and so many animals that some species became extinct!

6. Christ the Redeemer statue, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The iconic emblem of Brazil, Christ the Redeemer rises over thirty metres on the top of Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Made from reinforced concrete and clad in over six million soapstone tiles, this totemic statue of Jesus is actually the largest Art Deco sculpture in the world.

7. Chichen Itza, Mexico

Deep in the Mexican state of Yucatán lies Chichen Itza, a historic Mayan city built between the ninth and twelfth centuries. Constructed by the pre-Columbian Mayan tribe Itzá, the city includes a series of monuments and temples – the most famous being El Castillo. A testament to the Mayans’ astronomical abilities, the structure features 365 steps, one for every day in the solar year.

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