The Seven New Wonders of The World

•  The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
  •  The Eiffel Tower was designed and built by the French civil engineer Gustave Alexandre Eiffel for the Paris World's Fair of 1889. The tower, without its modern broadcasting antennas, is 300 m (984 ft) high. The lower section consists of four immense arched legs set on masonry piers. The legs curve inward until they unite in a single tapered tower. Platforms, each with an observation deck, are at three levels; on the first is also a restaurant. The tower, constructed of about 6300 metric tons (about 7000 tons) of iron, has stairs and elevators. A meteorological station, a radio communications station, and a television transmission antenna, as well as a suite of rooms that were used by Eiffel, are located near the top of the tower.
•  The Great Wall, China
  •  Wall building - around houses and settlements and along political frontiers - began in China more than 3000 years ago. Using the hang-tu method, pounded layers of earth were alternated with stones and twigs inside wooden frames to produce durable earthen walls.
  •  The most famous early wall construction is attributed to the king of the Qin dynasty, who conquered the other states and unified China in 221 bc. Taking the title of Shihuangdi, or First Emperor, Qin Shihuangdi ordered his military commander Meng Tian to subdue the nomads of the north and fortify China’s vast frontier.
  •  Today’s Great Wall consists of a series of walls built by China’s Ming dynasty beginning in the late 15th century ad. The Ming, having suffered a military defeat by the Mongols, had refused to continue to trade with them. The Mongol tribes of the northern steppe had long depended on China for grain, metal, and other goods, and China’s refusal led to further conflict between the Ming and the Mongols, which the Ming proved unable to win. The Ming rulers could not decide whether to negotiate with the Mongols or attempt to conquer them. As a compromise, they decided to keep the Mongols out by constructing walls along China’s northern border. Ultimately, the walls proved ineffective, as the Mongols were easily able to pass around or break through them during raids. For this and other reasons, sections of the walls periodically required repair.
  •  Although the first Ming walls were built of earth in the traditional manner, by the 16th century the work had become much more elaborate and was done in stone by professional builders paid in silver. Bit by bit, in response to Mongol challenges, the Ming heavily fortified the region around the capital at Beijing.
  •  Wall building and repair continued until the Ming dynasty fell to the Qing dynasty in 1644. By this time, the walls formed an incomplete and uneven network extending about 2400 km (1500 mi) in length. The eastern end was at Qinhuangdao, in Hebei Province on the gulf of Bo Hai, while the western extreme was near Jiayuguan in Gansu Province. The walls spanned mountainous terrain, conforming to the territory’s numerous peaks and valleys. They included inner walls and outer walls, and some stretches had watchtowers placed at regular intervals so that alarm signals could be passed between them in case of attack. Along the top of the walls was space for soldiers to march. At their most impressive, around Beijing, the walls measured at least 7.6 m (25 ft) in height and up to 9 m (30 ft) in width, tapering from the base to the top. These dimensions varied greatly at other points.
•  The City of Petra, Jordan
  •  Petra (Greek, “city of rock”), ancient city of Arabia (modern day southwestern Jordan). The stronghold and treasure city of the Nabataeans, an Arab people, Petra is referred to as Sela in the Bible. It was situated in the land of Edom, between the Dead Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba, near the points of intersection of great caravan routes from Gaza on the Mediterranean Sea, from Damascus, from Elath (modern day Al ‘Aqabah, Jordan) on the Red Sea, and from the Persian Gulf.
  • From the 4th century BC until the 2nd century AD, Petra was the capital of the Nabataean Kingdom. The Romans conquered it in 106 AD and made it part of the Roman province of Arabia Petraea. The city continued to flourish in the 2nd and 3rd centuries, but later, when the rival city of Palmyra took away most of Petra's trade, the importance of Petra declined. It was conquered by the Muslims in the 7th century and captured by the Crusaders in the 12th century; gradually it fell into ruins.
  •  The site of the ancient city was rediscovered in 1812. An impregnable fortress, conspicuous both for its great natural beauty and for the magnificence of its monuments, it is approached by a chasm, or ravine, which in some places is only 3.7 m (12 ft) wide and has towering rocky walls. Along this ravine are the ancient structures carved out of the walls of solid rock, the most famous of which include the Khaznet Firaoun, a temple also known as the Treasury of the Pharaohs, and a semicircular theater capable of seating about 3000 spectators. All along the face of the pink rocks that overlook the valleys are rows of tombs hewn out of the solid stone. The remains of Petra bear eloquent testimony to its former power, wealth, and culture.
•  Taj Mahal, Agra, India
  •  The Taj Mahal was build by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Arjumand Banu Bagam, known as Mumtaz Mahal (Persian for “Elect of the Palace”), who died in 1631. The mausoleum was complete in 1643 and the surrounding complex of buildings and gardens was complete by about 1653. Situated on the southern bank of the Yamuna River, the white marble mausoleum is composed of four identical facades, each containing a large central arch 33 m (108 ft) high. A large bulb-shaped dome, over 73 m (240 ft) tall, rises over the center, with four smaller domes surrounding it. Visitors approach the Taj Mahal through an imposing red sandstone gate, decorated with inscriptions from the Muslim holy book, the Qur'an (Koran). The gate and accompanying walls also contain a vast, geometrically laid out garden, 305 m (1,002 ft) on each side. The enclosed garden, itself a Muslim symbol of paradise, is centered on a large, raised pool. Canals divide it into four equal parts, each containing flower beds, fountains, and cypress trees (symbols of death). Inside the Taj Mahal stands the tomb of Mumtaz Mahal at the center of an octagonal hall, while the slightly larger tomb of Shah Jahan, who died in 1666, is off to one side. Both are elaborately carved and inlaid with semiprecious stones, illuminated by sunlight filtering through an elaborately carved marble screen that is also studded with jewels. The Taj Mahal is regarded as one of the most beautiful buildings of the world.
•  The Leaning Tower, Pisa, Italy
  •  The Leaning Tower part of a group of buildings built from 1053 to 1272 at Pisa, in Italy, includes a cathedral, a baptistery and a campanile (bell tower), better known as the Leaning Tower. Like the cathedral and associated baptistery, the tower was built in the Romanesque style.
  •  The tower is renowned for its marked tilt. This spectacular irregularity has tended to obscure the fact that it is also a magnificent example of Romanesque architecture and decoration. Begun in 1173, the eight-story round tower is 55 m (180 ft) tall and 16 m (52 ft) in diameter at the base. The ground floor is encircled by a blind arcade, or series of walled-in arches. Six additional levels of open galleries, consisting of round arches supported on columns, are surmounted by the bell chamber, somewhat smaller in diameter. Although the tower's ancient bells remain in place, they are no longer rung. The interior of the tower is occupied by a 294-step spiral staircase that leads to the bell chamber. The exterior is adorned with fine multicolored marbles and excellent carved work. The doorway, which is especially ornate, features grotesque carvings of animals.
  •  Construction of the campanile stretched over a period of nearly 200 years, partly because of delays caused by the tower's persistent structural problems. By the time the first three stories were completed, one side of the tower had already begun to sink into the soft soil, and construction was halted for nearly 100 years. The first attempts to counter the lean of the structure were made in 1275, when construction resumed. By 1301 six stories were complete, and the tower was finished about 1350.
  •  At its summit, the structure tilts about 5 m (16 ft) from the vertical, and the lean is said to be increasing at a rate of about 1 mm (about 1/25 of an inch) per year. Italian physicist Galileo conducted his famous experiments with gravity and the relative speed of falling objects from the top story of the tower.
•  The Petronas Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
  •  Located in the Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) the Petronas Towers are the world's tallest buildings. Each tower of glass and metal stands 452 m (1,483 ft) tall. They are connected by a skyway at the 41st and 42nd floors. The architect, Argentine American Cesar Pelli, found inspiration for the buildings’ design in traditional Malaysian Islamic architecture.
•  The Potala Palace, Lhasa, Tibet
  •  Perched upon Marpo Ri hill, 130 meters above the Lhasa valley, the Potala Palace rises a further 170 meters and is the greatest monumental structure in all of Tibet. Early legends concerning the rocky hill tell of a sacred cave, considered to be the dwelling place of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara), that was used as a meditation retreat by Emperor Songtsen Gampo in the seventh century AD. In 637 Songtsen Gampo built a palace on the hill. This structure stood until the seventeenth century, when it was incorporated into the foundations of the greater buildings still standing today. Construction of the present palace began in 1645 during the reign of the fifth Dalai Lama and by 1648 the Potrang Karpo, or White Palace, was completed. The Potrang Marpo, or Red Palace, was added between 1690 and 1694; its construction required the labors of more than 7000 workers and 1500 artists and craftsman. In 1922 the 13th Dalai Lama renovated many chapels and assembly halls in the White Palace and added two stories to the Red Palace. The Potala Palace was only slightly damaged during the Tibetan uprising against the invading Chinese in 1959. Unlike most other Tibetan religious structures, it was not sacked by the Red Guards during the 1960s and 1970s, apparently through the personal intervention of Chou En Lai. As a result, all the chapels and their artifacts are very well preserved.
  •  From as early as the eleventh century the palace was called Potala. This name probably derives from Mt. Potala, the mythological mountain abode of the Bodhisattva Chenresi (Avilokiteshvara / Kuan Yin) in southern India. The Emperor Songtsen Gampo had been regarded as an incarnation of Chenresi. Given that he founded the Potala, it seems likely that the hilltop palace of Lhasa took on the name of the Indian sacred mountain. The Potala Palace is an immense structure, its interior space being in excess of 130,000 square meters. Fulfilling numerous functions, the Potala was first and foremost the residence of the Dalai Lama and his large staff. In addition, it was the seat of Tibetan government, where all ceremonies of state were held; it housed a school for religious training of monks and administrators; and it was one of Tibet's major pilgrimage destinations because of the tombs of past Dalai Lamas. Within the White Palace are two small chapels, the Phakpa Lhakhang and the Chogyal Drubphuk; dating from the seventh century, these chapels are the oldest surviving structures on the hill and also the most sacred. The Potala's most venerated statue, the Arya Lokeshvara, is housed inside the Phapka Lhakhang, and it draws thousands of Tibetan pilgrims each day.