7Wonders
Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous to love and romance. It is believed that the name Taj Mahal was derived from the name of Shah Jahan's wife, Mumtaz Mahal and means Crown Palace. The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make a visit to the Taj Mahal gain a place amongst the most sought-after tours in the world. However, until you know the love story behind the construction of the Taj Mahal, the beauty of the same would not enliven in your heart and mind and instead would come up as just another beautiful building monument. It is the love behind this outstanding monument that has given a life to this monument. Come and explore the visceral charisma that it emanates!
The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters and was up to 7.5 meters tall.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.
New7Wonders of the World was an initiative started in 2001 by the Swiss corporation. New7Wonders Foundation to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments. A popularity poll was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber, and organized by the New7Wonders Foundation based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon. The New7Wonders Foundation is regulated by the Swiss Federal Foundation Authority as all nationwide-active foundations in Switzerland.
The New7Wonders Foundation claimed that more than 100 million votes were cast through the Internet or by telephone. Nothing prevented multiple votes, so the poll was considered "decidedly unscientific". According to John Zogby, founder and current President CEO of the Utica, New York-based polling organization Zogby International, New7Wonders Foundation drove the largest poll on record.
Taj Mahal Agra, India
Chichen Itza Yucatan, Mexico
Christ the Redeemer Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Colosseum Rome, Italy
Great Wall of China Beijing, China
Machu Picchu Cuzco Region, Peru
Petra Ma'an Governorate, Jordan
Taj Mahal of India is the epitome of love, "a monument of immeasurable beauty". The beauty of this magnificent monument is such that it is beyond the scope of words. The thoughts that come into the mind while watching the Taj Mahal of Agra is not just its phenomenal beauty, but the immense love which was the reason behind its construction. Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan got this monument constructed in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal, with whom he fell in love at the first sight. Ironically, the very first sight of the Taj Mahal, the epitome of love and romance, also leaves visitors mesmerized and perpetually enthralled.
Standing majestically on the banks of River Yamuna, the Taj Mahal is synonymous to love and romance. It is believed that the name Taj Mahal was derived from the name of Shah Jahan's wife, Mumtaz Mahal and means Crown Palace. The purity of the white marble, the exquisite ornamentation, precious gemstones used and its picturesque location, all make a visit to the Taj Mahal gain a place amongst the most sought-after tours in the world. However, until you know the love story behind the construction of the Taj Mahal, the beauty of the same would not enliven in your heart and mind and instead would come up as just another beautiful building monument. It is the love behind this outstanding monument that has given a life to this monument. Come and explore the visceral charisma that it emanates!
Chichen Itza, the ancient city whose name means, in the mouth at the Itzae's, in its time of grandeur lived between 800 and 1200 A.D, the centre of political, religious and military power in Yucatan, if not all of South-eastern Meso America.In its architecture one can observe a gradual change in style, starting with the Puuc style, also shared with Uxmal and other sites in the Penninsula and cluminating with the so-called Mayan Toltec style, due to the architectural similiarities with Tula, capital of the Ancient Toltecs, and with other sites in Central Mexico, such as Oaxaca and the Gulf Coast.Chichen Itza was a large city with a great many inhabitants, distributed around the architectural nucleii which we observe as ruins, who had a relatively easy access to the water coming from the various caves and Cenotes of the region.
The city is divided into two principal areas, Chichen Viejo and Chichen Nuevo.Chichen Viejo was founded about 400 A.D. by the Maya and governed by priests. Here the architecture is characterized by many representations of the god Chaac, the Maya rain god. Chichen Nuevo began about 850 A.D. with the arrival of the Itza from Central Mexico. The city was rebuilt by the Itza and is charactorized by images of the god Kukulcan, the plumed serpent. Around 1150 A.D. a new wave of Itza took over the city and ruled for another 150 years until Chichan Itza was finally overtaken by the rival city of Mayapan.
Christ the Redeemeis is one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. As such, the Cristo Redentor statue in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. Christ the Redeemer statue speaks a bit differently to each photographer who captures the image as seen in their magnificent mind’s eye. Their talent, a blessing to be sure, has been collected here to celebrate Easter and Christ.
The statue of Christ the Redeemer, though majestic, is not the main attraction. What impresses most visitors is the breathtaking panoramic view. Almost every major city attractions can be enjoyed away from the top. The Sugar Loaf, the Guanabara Bay, the Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean are the points that stand out in the landscape.
The Portuguese name for this statue is Cristo Redentor. Cristo Redentor took nine years to construct and is considered the second largest Art Deco statue in the world
Emperor Vespasian, founder of the Flavian Dynasty, started construction of the Colosseum in AD 72. It was completed in AD 80, the year after Vespasian's death.The huge amphitheater was built on the site of an artificial lake, part of Nero's huge park in the center of Rome which also included the Golden House and the nearby Colossus statue. This giant statue of Nero also gave the building its current name.
The elliptical building is immense, measuring 188m by 156m and reaching a height of more than 48 meter. The Colosseum could accommodate some 55,000 spectators who could enter the building through no less than 80 entrances. Above the ground are four storeys, the upper storey contained seating for lower classes and women. The lowest storey was preserved for prominent citizens. Below the ground were rooms with mechanical devices and cages containing wild animals. The cages could be hoisted, enabling the animals to appear in the middle of the arena.
Emperors used the Colosseum to entertain the public with free games. Those games were a symbol of prestige and power and they were a way for an emperor to increase his popularity. Games were held for a whole day or even several days in a row. They usually started with comical acts and displays of exotic animals and ended with fights to the death between animals and gladiators or between gladiators. These fighters were usually slaves, prisoners of war or condemned criminals. Sometimes free Romans and even Emperors took part in the action.
Hundred-day games were held by Titus, Vespasian's successor, to mark the inauguration of the building in AD 80. In the process, some 9,000 wild animals were slaughtered.The southern side of the Colosseum was felled by an earthquake in 847,Parts of the building including the marble facade were used for the construction of later monuments, including the St. Peter's Basilica.
The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" which means 5,000 km Long Wall. After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China. Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack.
The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters and was up to 7.5 meters tall.
During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. The Great Wall can be seen from Earth orbit, but, contrary to legend, is not visible from the moon, according to astronauts Neil Armstrong, Jim Lovell, and Jim Irwin.
The ruins of Machu Picchu, rediscovered in 1911 by Yale archaeologist Hiram Bingham, are one of the most beautiful and enigmatic ancient sites in the world. While the Inca people certainly used the Andean mountain top, erecting many hundreds of stone structures from the early 1400's, legends and myths indicate that Machu Picchu it means “Old Peak' in the Quechua language” was revered as a sacred place from a far earlier time.
Archaeologists estimate that approximately 1200 people could have lived in the area, though many theorize it was most likely a retreat for Incan rulers. Due to it’s isolation from the rest of Peru, living in the area full time would require traveling great distances just to reach the nearest village.Separated into three areas agricultural, urban, and religious. The structures are arranged so that the function of the buildings matches the form of their surroundings. The agricultural terracing and aqueducts take advantage of the natural slopes, the lower areas contain buildings occupied by farmers and teachers, and the most important religious areas are located at the crest of the hill, overlooking the lush Urubamba Valley thousands of feet below.
Hikers, tourists, and the early explorers describe similar emotions as they climb their way through the Inca Trail. Many call the experience magical. Glancing out from the Funerary Rock Hut on all the temples, fields, terraces, and baths seems to take you to another time. Blending in with the hillside itself, many say the area creates a seamless and elegant green paradise, making it a must for anyone who travels to Peru.
Petra, the world wonder, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure and greatest tourist attraction. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.
Entrance to the city is through the Siq, a narrow gorge, over 1km in length, which is flanked on either side by soaring, 80m high cliffs. Just walking through the Siq is an experience in itself. The colours and formations of the rocks are dazzling. As you reach the end of the Siq you will catch your first glimpse of Al-KhaznehThis is an awe-inspiring experience. A massive facade, 30m wide and 43m high, carved out of the sheer, dusky pink rock-face and dwarfing everything around it. It was carved in the early 1st century as the tomb of an important Nabataean king and represents the engineering genius of these ancient people.
Roman style theatre, which could seat 3,000 people. There are obelisks, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets, and high above, overlooking the valley, is the impressive Ad-Deir Monastery – a flight of 800 rock cut steps takes you there. Within the site there are also two excellent museums; the Petra Archaeological Museum, and the Petra Nabataean Museum both of which represent finds from excavations in the Petra region and an insight into Petra's colourful past.
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