العربية
Architectural wonders are the Seven Wonders of the World,
Every civilization wanted to leave its mark and remind the world of its existence through buildings that the world considered architectural wonders,
which represent evidence of the unlimited intelligence and creativity of man.
The original list of the Seven Wonders of the World was created in the second century BC,
and by the year 2000 there was only one of these wonders still standing (the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt).
Then a Swiss foundation launched a campaign to select the New Seven Wonders of the World,
creating a survey that ran for seven years and got more than 100 million votes online or texted.
The survey ended in 2007 and resulted in the New Seven Wonders of the World:
Great Wall of China (China)
The Great Wall of China is the longest cemetery on Earth, with a length of more than 21,000 kilometers.
It took about 20 years to build, and nature presented some serious challenges;
Highlands, landscapes, plateaus and natural barriers.
More than a million people died during the construction of the Great Wall of China and archaeologists found human remains under parts of the wall,
making this tragedy of the Great Wall of China the longest cemetery on Earth.
Chichen Itza (Mexico).
Chichen Itza is believed to be the largest city ever built in the Mayan civilization,
and its name means “at the mouth of the Itza well”.
Perhaps the way in which the unusual sounds echo is one of the things that have made travelers
and archaeologists vote for this site as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
It is said that if a person claps from one end of the field of play,
the sound will return to create 9 echoes in the middle of the field.
Pieces of the ancient city of Petra (Jordan)
One of the marvelous architectural marvels of the Middle East,
Petra is also known as the City of Roses because it was built of pink sandstone.
Despite the rise of this area during the Middle Ages,
the Bedouins of the Arabian desert destroyed some of the sculptures, using them as shooting targets during training.
Machu Picchu (Peru)
Known as the Lost City of the Incas, Machu Picchu was built in the year 1450
and neglected for a hundred years.
Several hundred years later, it was inscribed by UNESCO as a heritage site in 1983 because it complied with the standards,
as the stones used to build one of the Seven Wonders of the World weighed in excess of 50 pounds.
It is claimed that no wheels were used to move these stones up the mountain,
and in fact hundreds of men are believed to have cooperated to push them.
Christ the Redeemer (Rio de Janeiro)
Designed by Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by French sculptor Paul Landowski,
Christ the Redeemer is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Originally built in France and then moved to Brazil,
the statue of Christ the Redeemer is 125 feet high and is placed on top of a mountain.
The statue is not shielded from lightning,
in fact it is struck by lightning about three to six times a year.
The statue was hit by lightning before the 2014 FIFA World Cup,
breaking his thumb.
Colosseum (Italy)
The Colosseum is one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
It is known as the most famous ancient amphitheater in the world.
The Colosseum is of unparalleled architectural beauty,
but it has some ugliness behind this beauty and is the reason for which it was built.
The Colosseum was home to brutal and tragic performances,
as it was built in order to accommodate events such as gladiator battles, animal hunts, and executions.
The amphitheater was built between 70 and 82 AD by Emperor Titus Vespasian and can accommodate more than 50,000 spectators.
Taj Mahal (India)
Built by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his late wife, the building is a sincere and glorious display of love.
Rumors arose that the beautiful architectural monument was one of the Seven Wonders of the World,
as the Romantic Emperor was said to have cut off the hands of every worker who had contributed to the construction of the Taj Mahal
so that they could never build a similar building again.
It is also said that animals were damaged in its construction,
as elephants were used to transport heavy construction materials to the site.
In the end, it can be said that these architectural wonders hide some legends and secrets behind them,
as does every famous landmark in the world.
Building such massive structures at a time when techniques and tools were poor,
compared to our modern age, has given us some interesting stories about these architectural marvels.
