You may know about the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Only one - the Great Pyramid of Giza - still stands. So, Swiss film producer and aviator Bernard Weber launched a global voting campaign to let you, and millions of other people, create a new list. Unlike the list of Ancient Wonders, the New Wonders list includes both ancient and modern structures from every part of the world that can still be visited to this day. However, there are a number of prominent contenders that failed to make the cut. A few are listed below on our Honorable Mentions list.
THE GREAT PYRAMID AND THE SPHINX
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest Egyptian pyramid and the tomb of Fourth Dynasty pharaoh Khufu. Built in the 26th century BC during a period of around 27 years, it is the oldest of both The New and Ancient Seven Wonders, and the only one to remain largely intact. The Great Sphinx of Giza is a limestone statue of a reclining mythical creature with the head of a human and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile. The face of The Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.
CHRIST THE REDEEMER
Christ the Redeemer, a colossal statue of Jesus, stands atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro. Its origins date to just after WWI, when some Brazilians feared a “tide of godlessness.” They proposed a statue, which was ultimately designed by Heitor da Silva Costa, Carlos Oswald, and Paul Landowski. Construction began in 1926 and was completed five years later. The resulting monument stands 98 feet tall—not including its base, which is and additional 26 feet and its outstretched arm span of 92 feet. The largest Art Deco sculpture in the world, Christ the Redeemer is made of reinforced concrete and is covered in approximately six million tiles. The statue has often been struck by lightning, and in 2014 the tip of Jesus' right thumb was damaged during a storm.
ROMAN COLOSSEUM
The Colosseum was built in the first century by order of the Emperor Vespasian around 70AD. A feat of engineering, the amphitheater measures 620 by 513 feet and features a complex system of vaults. It was capable of holding 50,000 spectators, who watched a variety of events. Perhaps most notable were gladiator fights, though men battling animals was also common. In addition, water was sometimes pumped into The Colosseum for mock naval engagements.
MACHU PICCHU
In 1911, the American explorer Hiram Bingham was led by natives to the nearly inaccessible deserted Incan city on a Peruvian mountaintop. Since Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas, became known to the Western world, its purpose has confounded scholars. What is known is that Machu Picchu is one of the few major pre-Columbian ruins found nearly intact. The buildings were constructed of finely cut white granite blocks and no mortar was used. Despite its relative isolation high in the Andes Mountains, it features agricultural terraces, plazas, residential areas, and temples.
CHICHÉN ITZÁ
Chichén Itzá, a Mayan city on the Yucatán Peninsula in Mexico, thrived between 300 and 900 AD under the Mayan tribe Itza. Among the most notable monuments is the stepped pyramid El Castillo “The Castle”, which rises 79 feet above the Main Plaza. A testament to the Mayans' astronomical abilities, the structure features a total of 365 steps, the number of days in the solar year. During the spring and autumnal equinoxes, the setting sun casts shadows on the pyramid that give the appearance of a serpent slithering down the north stairway to the stone snake head at the base. Chichén Itzá is also the home to the largest tlachtli (a type of sporting field) in the Americas.
GREAT WALL OF CHINA
Great might be an understatement. One of the world's largest building-construction projects, the Great Wall of China is widely thought to be about 5,500 miles long; a disputed Chinese study, however, claims the length is 13,170 miles. Work began in the 7th century BCE and continued for two millennia. Although called a “wall”, the structure actually features two parallel walls for lengthy stretches. In addition, watchtowers and barracks dot the bulwark.
The Cathedral of Vasily the Blessed, commonly known as Saint Basil's Cathedral, is an Orthodox church in Red Square of Moscow, and is one of the most popular cultural symbols of Russia. The cathedral has nine domes (each one corresponding to a different church) and is shaped like the flame of a bonfire rising into the sky.
The Acropolis of Athens, or "High City" is an ancient citadel located on a rocky outcrop above the city of Athens and contains the remains of several ancient buildings of great architectural and historical significance, the most famous being The Parthenon.
Easter Island s a special territory of Chile in the southeasternmost point of the Polynesian Triangle in the Pacific Ocean. The island is most famous for its nearly 1,000 extant monumental statues, called moai, which were created by the early inhabitants during the 13th-16th centuries. The moai are carved human figures with oversize heads, often resting on massive stone pedestals called ahus.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Stonehenge is perhaps the world’s most famous prehistoric monument. It was built in several stages: the first monument was an early henge monument, built about 5,000 years ago, and the unique stone circle was erected in the late Neolithic period about 2500 BC. In the early Bronze Age many burial mounds were built nearby. Today, together with Avebury, Stonehenge forms the heart of a World Heritage Site, with a unique concentration of prehistoric monuments.
Timbuktu is one of the cities of Africa whose name is the most heavily charged with history. Home of the prestigious Koranic Sankore University and other madrasas, Timbuktu was an intellectual and spiritual capital and a centre for the propagation of Islam throughout Africa in the 15th and 16th centuries. Its three great mosques, Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, recall Timbuktu's golden age. Although continuously restored, these monuments - located at the gateway to the Sahara - are under threat from desertification.
Mother Nature created her own wonders to enchant and put humans in awe at first sight. From mountain peaks to waterfalls, underwater marvels and dazzling sky optics, each natural wonder highlights a different aspect of the beauty of Earth's natural world. Find out more about the Northern Lights, the Grand Canyon, and more!
