There are so many beautiful things on this planet it’s incredible that Humans have bundled up the “best” into a list of 7. For this post, it’s specifically wonders of the world that as travelers, we are interested in visiting. Mary would love to see them in an artistic sense while I personally would love to learn more about each site’s Historical significance. When it comes to wonders, they are classified as historically significant landmarks, cities, monuments, ‘holy’ places, or other megalithic structures.
There are even more “7 wonders” lists like “7 wonders of nature”, “7 wonders of the ancient world”, “7 wonders of the modern world” etc. It’s kind of like a BuzzFeed post and funnily enough, it all comes down to a popularity poll/vote. I still find it incredible how we as humans want to be calculated and “official” and number things in order of significance. Although some of these landmarks are phenomenal, it’s just bizarre to categorize things of this magnitude in a short list. But on to the main point of this post!
Interestingly enough, a group, known as the “New7Wonders Foundation”, took action to produce a ‘new’ seven wonders of the world by narrowing down a list of 200 monuments from around the world.
1. Great Wall of China – 2560 BCE (China)
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Construction began in 500 CE and continued to be worked on sporadically throughout the years. It is still being maintained and repaired constantly which help give us modern day humans a glimpse into the past when the wall stood at it’s highest and mightiest, 25feet/7 meters. To this day, it is being maintained and repaired which is a major contributor to its longevity.
What was originally small fortifications and unified into one to keep foreign invaders outside of China and her cities, The great wall of China is usually in the top 3 on any list of wonders of the world but on the “7newwonders” list, it is numero uno!
Landon and Mary were able to experience this amazing sight in 2017. (Best time to visit: winter/cooler months. Low tourism season and not as humid.)
2. Petra (JORDAN)
“Petra is a famous archaeological site in Jordan’s southwestern desert. Dating to around 300 B.C., it was the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom. Accessed via a narrow canyon called Al Siq, it contains tombs and temples carved into pink sandstone cliffs, earning its nickname, the “Rose City.” Perhaps its most famous structure is 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, and known as The Treasury.” (source)
An ancient city built into desert rock. The origins are still debatable. #QuestionEverything
3. The Colosseum (Italy)
Ah, this is nice – Italy and the ancient ruins of Rome, especially 7newwonders list number 3. Home of Gladiator games and even battleships…insane! It was so technologically advanced it could’ve held up to 50,000 – 80,000 people, and probably could’ve run today if it was maintained or reproduced. The stadium could flood to recreate sea combat. And of course, all types of animals such as hyenas, elephants, wild boars, buffaloes, bears, lions, tigers, bulls, wolves, and leopards were housed under the Colosseum floor, ready to be used in a re-creation of hunts or to intensify battle scenes.
This is a top place to visit in our books as well!
4. Chichen Itza (Mexico)
An ancient pyramid looking temple. Historians debate whether this was by the Mayans our a society much older. Located in Tinúm Municipality, Yucatán State, Mexico, Chichen Itza is one of the most visited archaeological sites in Mexico. What’s intriguing is this temple is also known as the Serpent Temple where from the side, in proper lighting, you can make out the image. It’s curious that maybe we modern-day humans may possibly be misinterpreting things but then again, I believe that’s what is always happening, which makes me more compelled to visit this site!
5. Machu Picchu (Peru)
Another ancient site that is debated whether the Incans actually built this site or if they resettled here after an antiquated society had left. There’s always a possibility! It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machu Picchu District in Peru and only re-discovered in 1911! It was untouched by the Spanish Conquest and any outsider for centuries. Only through locals who’s history and tradition passed down from generation to generation in verbal form was it able to be found again. A mysterious place that drives my curiosity to visit this beauty in person.
6. Taj Mahal (India)
“The Crown Palace.” Located in India and built in 1632–1653 this ivory white-marble would cost 827 million USD (almost a billion!) in today’s currency market. A beautiful symbolism of a culture that is within our great grandfathers lifetimes. The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being “the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world’s heritage”. India isn’t on the list of visiting in the near future but when the time is right, this will be visited as we venture through India, guaranteed!
7. Christ The Redeemer (Brazil)
The final spot for the 7newwonders is located in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and is a giant Jesus statue. This thing is MASSIVE, standing at it highest 38 meters (125 ft) tall. This is the most recently built of this new 7 wonders list, dating at 1931. The Statue overlooks the city of Rio de Janeiro and Guanabara Bay.
Honorary Status: THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA – Without a doubt, the Biggest Pyramid discovered was the tallest building for thousands, yes thousands of years and only recently has it been surpassed in height by modern skyscrapers. Did you know there’s not one documented proof that the Egyptians build the pyramids? If this interested you, take a watch here. Rightfully deserved as the true number one spot of 7 world wonders. Absolutely our number one spot on our list as well! We’d love to visit as a family in the near future!
Writing this post has made me want to travel! How about you guys? Which site would be your top spot to visit out of these 7?
Disclosure: Most of the information was from Google, Youtube, Wikipedia and World Atlas
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