7 WONDERS OF THE WORDS

CHICHEN ITZA MEXICA

INSIDE CHICHEN ITZA

The name Chichen Itza means "well of the Itzas."

Late in its history, the site was occupied by the Itza family,

Mayas who resisted the Spanish until the 17th century by

withdrawing to a fortress at Lake Peten.

• In the Middle Preclassic period (800 B.C. - 300 B.C.) some

villages grew into small ceremonial centers.

• By the Late Classic period (600 - 900 A.D.) one of these

provincial centers, later called Chichen Itza, contained a

number of large structures built in the Puuc style of the

South, exemplified by the Nunnery and the Palace of the

Governors at Uxmal, some 100 miles southeast of Chichen

Itza.

CHRIST REDEEMER (BRAZIL)

Christ the Redeemer is an Art Deco statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de

Janeiro, Brazil,

created by French sculptor Paul Landowski and built by the

engineer Heitor da Silva Costa Brazil in collaboration with the

French engineer Albert Caquot.

Address: Parque Nacional da Tijuca - Alto da Boa Vista, Rio de Janeiro - RJ, Brazil

The Christ the King statue (In the Middle Preclassic period (800

B.C. - 300 B.C.) some villages grew into small ceremonial centers.

• By the Late Classic period (600 - 900 A.D.) one of these provincial

centers, later called Chichen Itza, contained a number of large

structures built in the Puuc style of the South, exemplified by the Nunnery

and the Palace of the Governors at Uxmal, some 100 miles southeast of

Chichen Itza.: Cristo Rei) is a In the Middle Preclassic period (800 B.C. -

300 B.C.) some villages grew into small ceremonial centers.

• The giant statue in cement was erected to express gratitude because

the Portuguese were spared the effects of World War i

It was inspired by the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio

de Janeiro (Brazil), after the Cardinal Patriarch of

Lisbon visited that monument.

The project was inaugurated on 17 May 1959, at a

time when Portugal was being ruled by the

authoritarian

THE ROMAN COLOSSEUM (ITALY)

Location Regio IV Templum Pacis ("Temple of

Peace")

Built in 70–80 AD

Built by/for Vespasian, Titus

Type of structure Amphitheatre

Related List of ancient monuments

in Rome

The Roman Colosseum detail

The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian

Amphitheatre (Latin: Amphitheatrum Flavium; Italian: Anfiteatro

Flavioor Colosseo) is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city

of Rome, Italy.

Built of concrete and stone, it was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman

Empire, and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman

architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world.

The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum.

Construction began under the emperor Vespasian in 70 AD, and was completed

in 80 AD under his successor and heir Titus.

Further modifications were made during the reign of Domitian (81–96).

These three emperors are known as the Flavian dynasty, and the amphitheatre

was named in Latin for its association with their family name (Flavius).

The Colosseum could hold, it is estimated, between 50,000 and 80,000

spectators, and was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles such

as mock sea battles, animal hunts, executions, re-enactments of famous battles,

and dramas based on Classical mythology.

The building ceased to be used for entertainment in the early medieval era. It was

later reused for such purposes as housing, workshops, quarters for a religious

order, a fortress, a quarry, and a Christian shrine.

THE GREAT WALL OF

CHINA

Type Fortification

Country China

Coordinates 40.67693°N

117.23193°ECoordinates: 40.67693°N

117.23193°E

Technical details

Size 21,196 km (13,171 mi

220 BC and 1368-1644 AD

Height: 6-10 m.

5–6 m. wide

Keeps Mongol tribes invading

The Great Wall of China is a series of fortifications made of stone, brick, tamped

earth, wood, and other materials,

generally built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China in part to protect the Chinese Empire or its prototypical states against

intrusions by various nomadic groups or military incursions by various warlike

peoples or forces.

Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC; these, later joined

together and made bigger and stronger, are now collectively referred to as the

Great Wall.

• Since then, the Great Wall has on and off been rebuilt, maintained, and

enhanced; the majority of the existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty.

• Other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, allowing the

imposition of duties on goods transported along the Silk Road,

• regulation or encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and

emigration.

• Especially famous is the wall built between 220–206 BC by the first Emperor

of China, Qin Shi Huang. Little of that wall remains.

• Furthermore, the defensive characteristics of the Great Wall were

enhanced by the construction of watch towers, troop barracks, garrison

stations, signa ling capabilities through the means of smoke or fire, and the

fact that the path of the Great Wall also served as a transportation corridor.

MACHU PICCHU

(PERU)

Machu Picchu (Peru) detail:

Address: Aguas Calientes, Peru

Elevation: 2,430 m

Area: 13 km²

Management: Government of Peru

Phone: +51 1 5748000

Machu Picchu (in hispanicized spelling, Spanish pronunciation: or Machu Pikchu

(Quechua machu old, old person, pikchu peak; mountain or prominence with a

broad base which ends in sharp peaks, "old peak", pronunciation is a 15th-

century Inca site located 2,430 metres (7,970 ft) above sea level.

It is located in the Cusco Region, Urubamba Province, Machupicchu District in

Peru.

It is situated on a mountain ridge above the Sacred Valley which is 80 kilometres

(50 mi) northwest of Cusco and through which the Urubamba River flows.

• Most archaeologists believe that Machu Picchu was built as an estate for

the Inca emperor Pachacuti (1438–1472).

• Often mistakenly referred to as the "Lost City of the Incas", it is the most

familiar icon of Inca civilization.

• The Incas built the estate around 1450, but abandoned it a century later at

the time of the Spanish Conquest. Although known locally,

it was unknown to the outside world before being brought to international

attention in 1911 by the American historian Hiram Bingham.

Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

Most of the outlying buildings have been reconstructed in order to give

tourists a better idea of what the structures originally looked like. By 1976.

thirty percent of Machu Picchu had been restored. The restoration work

continues to this day.

PETRA (JORDAN)

Location Ma'an Governorate, Jordan

Coordinates 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″ECoordinates: 30°19′43″N 35°26′31″E

Elevation 810 m (2,657 ft)

Built possibly as early as 5th century BC

Visitation 580,000 (in 2007)

Governing body Petra Region Authority

Petra (Arabic Ancient Greek: is a historical and archaeological city in the

southern Jordanian governorate of Ma'an that is famous for its rock-cut

architecture and water conduit system.

Another name for Petra is the Rose City due to the color of the stone out of

which it is carved.

Established possibly as early as 312 BC as the capital city of the Nabataeans, it is a symbol of Jordan, as well as Jordan's most-visited

tourist attraction.

It lies on the slope of Jebel al-Madhbah (identified by some as the

biblical Mount Hor) in a basin among the mountains which form the eastern

flank of Arabah (Wadi Araba), the large valley running from the Dead Sea to

the Gulf of Aqaba.

Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985.

The site remained unknown to the Western world until 1812, when it was

introduced by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt.

It was described as "a rose-red city half as old as time" in a Newdigate Prize-

winning poem by John William Burgon.

UNESCO has described it as "one of the most precious cultural properties of

man's cultural heritage". See: UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists.

Petra was chosen by the Smithsonian Magazine as one of the "28 Places to

See Before You Die".

THE TAJ MAHAL (INDIA)

TAJ MAHEL

Location Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India

Coordinates 27°10′30″N 78°02′31″ECoordin

ates: 27°10′30″N 78°02′31″E

Height 73 m (240 ft)

Built 1632–1653[1]

Architect Ustad Ahmad Lahauri

Architectural style(s) Mughal architecture

Visitation More than 3 million (in 2003)

The Taj Mahal more often;,from Persian and Arabic,"crown of palaces",

pronounced also "the Taj" is a white marble mausoleum located in Agra,

Uttar Pradesh, India.

It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife,

Mumtaz Mahal.

The Taj Mahal is widely recognized as "the jewel of Muslim art in India and

one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage".

Taj Mahal is regarded by many as the finest example of Mughal

architecture, a style that combines elements from Islamic, Persian,

Ottoman Turkish and Indian architectural styles.

In 1983, the Taj Mahal became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

While the white domed marble mausoleum is the most familiar component of

the Taj Mahal, it is actually an integrated complex of structures.

The construction began around 1632 and was completed around 1653,

employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen.The construction of the Taj

Mahal was entrusted to a board of architects under imperial supervision,

including Abd ul-Karim Ma'mur Khan, Makramat Khan, and Ustad Ahmad

Lahauri.Lahauri is generally considered to be the principal designer.