Wonders of the world

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Wonders of the World Good Tastes Club October 2012

Transcript of Wonders of the world

Wonders of the World

Good Tastes Club

October 2012

The concept of 7 wonders

• The first list of 7 wonders was made by Greek historian Antipater

of Sidon early 2nd century BC.

• Later additions were made by Philo of Byzantium, Callimachus (3rd

Century BC) and Herodotus (5th Century BC)

• 7 was considered a “perfect” number and hence that was the

number chosen

• All of them were around the Mediterranean and were in the

“known world” of Romans and Greeks of the time.

Ancient Wonders

• Great Pyramid of Giza

• Hanging Gardens of Babylon

• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

• Statue of Zeus at Olympia

• Tomb of Mausolos at Halicarnassus

• Colossus of Rhodes

• Lighthouse of Alexandria / Ishtar Gate of Babylon

Location of the Ancient Wonders

The New 7Wonders Foundation

• Formed in 2001 with an aim of monument conservation and reconstruction

• Based in Switzerland they launched an international poll to select the “New 7

Wonders of the World”

• A controversy arose on The Great Pyramid given its stature and antiquity

• To appease the people of Egypt and many others the Great Pyramid was given

the title of honorary Wonder of the World and excluded from the poll

• On 07/07/07 they announced the top 7 as polled by voters around the world and

declared the New 7 Wonders of World in a live televised event in Portugal

New 7 Wonders

• Taj Mahal

• The Great Wall of China

• Petra, Jordan

• Colloseum, Italy

• Christ the Redeemer, Brazil

• Chichen Itza, Mexico

• Machu Pichu, Peru

Location- New 7 Wonders

Great Pyramids of Giza

• Man fears time yet time fears the Pyramids of Giza – Arabic saying

• The 3 Pyramids were constructed by 3 Pharaoh's one after the other as their final

resting place. The tombs are intended to carry the Pharaoh’s to the after life.

• In descending order of time and size they are Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure

• These pyramids are made of limestone and granite blocks being arranged in a

symmetrical manner with no mortar or cement to hold these blocks together

• Some of the stones used for the Pyramids were transported from quarries more

than 800 kms away

• These structures date back to 2500 BC so they are 4500 years old, standing the

test of time itself as the Pharoah’s intended it to be

The Great Pyramid of Khufu

• The oldest and the largest Pyramid is the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu also known as Cheops.

• It stands today at 450 feet in height after years of erosion and is believed to have been at 480 feet

when completed

• The face of the Pyramid was covered in a cover stone forming a smooth outer surface which has

now eroded to reveal the inner structure

• The total weight of this tomb is estimated to be at 5.9 M tons and took 20 years to build.

• Its estimated that over 2.3 M blocks of limestone was moved to make this Pyramid

• This alone is the ancient wonder of the world and not the other 2 Pyramids adjoining it

• It remained the tallest man made structure on Earth for a staggering 3,800 years !

Taj Mahal

Fast Facts – Taj Mahal

• Built by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, it was started in

1632 with the main tomb being finished in 1648 and the full complex was completed in 1653

• The tomb is the finest example of Mughal architecture that combines Persian, Turkish and Indian

elements

• It’s a multi chambered cube with emphasis on symmetry across various facets of the entire

complex like gardens, mosques and not just the main tomb.

• The marble dome on top sits at a height of 140 feet and is accentuated by the smaller domes and

towers around it.

• There are 4 minarets which are of 130 feet each and have stairway access all the way to the top

which is now closed to the public

• The Taj Mahal endures across the world as the greatest symbol of love

Great Wall of China

Fast facts – Great Wall of China

• Started by the Qin dynasty Emperor Qin Shi Huang in 220 BC to 206 BC to protect the borders of the recently

united Chinese empire

• Wall building was not new to China but Qin Shi Huang propagated it as a defense mechanism and destroyed walls

within the borders building over the ones on the border of North China

• The Ming dynasty revived this concept in the 14th century after sometime of neglect to protect itself from the

Mongols across the North border of China.

• Transportation of materials was expensive so the Wall was made of rocks near mountains and rammed earth near

the plains.

• Over the years watch towers were added to monitor the enemy as well to impose duties along the Silk Route and

other border controls

• The total length of the wall is estimated to be 21,000 Kms including all its branches

• At its widest point its 30 feet wide and 26 feet tall though many parts of it is now under disrepair, eroded as well

as destroyed for construction

• The section around Beijing is among the best preserved and a popular tourist attraction

Petra

Fast Facts – Petra

• Rose or Red city was built by the Nabateans around 300 BC who were the early pre-Islam Arabs

• The word Nabat referred to “cutting stone” which these people were experts in

• Petra is located in a valley with rainfall only 3 months in the year but the Nabateans became

experts in building water cisterns, wells and water ducts which was one of the keys to the success

of the city

• It lay on the way to an important land route connecting Gaza, Damascus, Aqaba on the Red Sea

and across the desert route to the Persian Gulf

• The locals worshipped a God called Dushara and with passing time Petra fell into the hands of the

Greco-Romans, Christians and Muslims as can bee seen from tombs reflecting its times

• Eventually the discovery of newer sea routes led to the decline and abandonment of Petra but was

hidden to the larger world as well as natural elements and hence relatively well preserved

Colloseum

Fast Facts – Colosseum

• Started construction by the Emperor Vespasian in AD 72 it was completed in AD 80 under Titus

• It’s the largest Roman amphitheater ever built and sits in central Rome with a capacity of seating

50,000 people

• Originally called the Amphitheatre Flavium after the family name of the constructors

• It was used for gladiatorial contests and games with 9000 animals being killed on the day it

opened

• Through the ages the Colosseum became a Church, cemetery, workshop, quarry to now - one of

the main tourist attraction in Europe

• The entire structure is built on an area of 6 acres with the outer walls being 160 feet high and the

elliptical building is 615 feet long and 500 feet wide. There are 80 entrances to the builiding with

numbered staircases as well. Tickets were issued directing people to the right section of seating

• The arena itself is 280 feet long and 180 feet wide

Chichen Itza

Fast Facts - Chichen Itza

• The largest city of the Mayan people it flourished between 600 AD to 1200 AD

• The name means “At the well of Itza” referring to natural wells that made

habitation comfortable and the name of an ethnic group that grew to dominance

• Its located at the eastern tip of the Yucatan peninsula with the architecture

showing Mayan as well as other central Mexican influences indicating a cultural

diffusion in the city

• It’s a vast complex with some of the main attractions being the Castillo, Temple of

Thousand Warriors, Cenote Segrado and the Great Ball Court

• Overriding themes around the structure are of the Serpent God and Jaguar God

both which were highly revered by the Mayans

Christ the Redeemer

• Situated in Rio de Janeiro its made of reinforced concrete and

soapstone. The statue towers at a height of 130 feet and is

synonymous with Rio and Brazil

• Statue is on top of the Corcovado mountain which is at a height of

2300 feet above sea level overlooking the city giving the Christ an

even greater aura

• It was constructed from 1922 to 1931 and Christ with open arms is a

symbol of peace

• Being one of the newest wonders the cost of the statue's

construction came from residents in Rio as donations

Fast Facts - Christ the Redeemer

Machu Pichu

Fast Facts – Machu Pichu

• Machu Pichu is the pre-eminent site of the Inca civilisation located in Peru

on a mountain ridge at a height of 8,000 feet above sea level

• It was an estate for the Inca King Pachacuti and built it in 1400 and

abandoned it 100 years later

• The city is spread across 300 sq kms and was unknown to the outside

world till early 20th century hence neither destroyed nor looted.

• The site houses over 140 structures including temples, parks and

residences across 2 different sections namely Urban and Agricultural

• The site is highly endangered with restrictions on tourist visits as well a no

fly zone to preserve Machu Pichu while restoration work continues

Some others

• Angkor Wat, Cambodia

• Hagia Sophia, Turkey

• Sydney Opera House

• Eiffel Tower

• Statue of Liberty

• Alhambra, Spain

• Acropolis of Athens

• Kremlin

Thank You