The New Seven Wonders of the World

Petra Petra is an ancient city. It was built a long time ago in 100 B.C. but it is still there today! The buildings were actually carved out of rock, into the mountain! There is not another city quite like Petra.

The Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum (a building which houses tombs of important figures). It is not nearly as old as Petra, but it was still built over 300 years ago! The Taj Mahal is the world’s most famous mausoleum. It is considered the finest example of Mughal architecture (Mughal architecture is a specific style of architecture which combines elements from many different cultures, including Persian, Ottoman, Indian, and Islamic).

Chichen Itza Chichen Itza was once a powerful city for the Mayan civilization. It is very old (built around 600 AD), but the ruins are still there and many people travel from far away to see them. Chichen Itza is one of the few Maya ruins which retains its original name as given to us by the Maya. There are special things about the way Chichen Itza was built

Christ Redeemer Christ the Redeemer is a statue of Jesus Christ It took nine years to built. It was finished in1931 It is 120 ft. tall, weighs 700 tons, and is located at the peak of the Corcovado Mountain which stands 2,300 ft. high. It is the second tallest statue of its kind in the world. The statue was struck by lightning in a violent storm in 2008. The storm wreaked havoc on the city, but the statue remained unscathed because it is covered with soapstone, which acts as an insulator.

The Colosseum The Colosseum is an elliptical shaped amphitheatre. It was built between 70 and 72 AD by the Romans and it was the largest one they ever built. It seats over 50,000 people! It is considered to be one of the greatest works of the Roman Empire.

The Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China is actually a series of walls built to protect the Chinese Empire from its enemies. It has been built, rebuilt, and maintained between approxametly 400 BC and 1500 AD. The Great Wall stretches over 4,000 miles! (about the distance from the tip of Alaska to the tip of Florida) At its peak the wall was guarded by more than one million men!

Machu Pichu Machu Pichu is an ancient city that was once inhabited by the Incas. It is located high in the mountains. People travel from all over the world to see the ruins. The city was built in 1460.

What is special about the Seven Wonders of the World that would make people call them “wonders of the world”?