Modern man is at the head of many things: people conquer outer space, reveal more and more mysteries of nature. It is even difficult to list everything. It becomes more and more difficult to strike the imagination of modern man, because the most daring dreams are being implemented in front of him.
However, those things that seem to be an extraordinary miracle and the top of creative thought, in a few decades will be as commonplace and familiar for us, as television, for example. Nevertheless, there are still some things that can surprise regardless of the time, which passed through many generations. These things will be looked with admiration and perhaps trepidation. You've probably guessed, I'm talking about the "wonders of the world."
As you know, there were seven wonders of the world, which is now called the "wonders of the ancient world." Only one of them was preserved to our days – these are the legendary Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Therefore, at the initiative of the Bernard Werber, Swiss project by "New Seven Wonders of the World" was organized. It was designed to determine which of the currently existing facilities and attractions worthy of being called "wonders of the world."
Nonprofit Organization «New Open World Corporation» had conducted worldwide vote, which was attended by more than 90 million people worldwide. Out of the dozens of contenders, struggling for the title of one of the seven wonders of the world, there were selected winners and contest results were announced in Lisbon on July 7, 2007, in the "day of the three sevens."
Here is the top 7 of the Modern Wonders of the World:
The great Wall of China
Location: China
This is the largest architectural structure in the world, the length of the wall is 8851.8 kilometers. Great Wall of China was built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from nomad raids. Today the wall is considered to be one of the greatest structures ever built by man. It is the most visited attraction in the world - more than 40 million visitors a year come to the country to witness the Great Wall of China. By the way, one of the sections of the wall runs near the capital of China - Beijing.
Coliseum
Location: Italy, Rome
It is the largest ancient Roman amphitheater, a full-fledged symbol of the Eternal City, perhaps the most recognizable monument of architecture in the world. Its second name is Flavian Amphitheatre - was built in honor of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled then in ancient Rome and organized the construction of the amphitheater. The Coliseum has long held gladiator fights and other spectacles of entertainment for visitors and residents of Rome.
Machu Picchu
Location: Peru
Legendary ancient Inca city, located in present-day Peru. Machu Picchu was nicknamed as the "city in the clouds" because of its location - it is situated on the top of a mountain ridge, at an altitude of 2450 meters above sea level. The city was built by the Inca ruler Pachacutec, as the imperial residence - "the sacred mountain cabin."
Petra
Location: Jordan
The famous rock-hewn city of Petra, located in Jordan. The city is located in the Arava valley in the Siq, surrounded by cliffs from all the sides. To enter the valley is possible only through a narrow gorge, which is a gateway city. Most of the buildings in the city are hollowed in cliffs of red sandstone - even the name of the city "Petra" means "rock." Over half a million visitors per year come to see the city made from the mysterious stone. By the way, the final scenes of the famous film by Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" were filmed here in Petra.
Location: India
Mausoleum-Mosque of Taj Mahal is a white marble, located in the city of Agra in India, on the banks of the Yamuna River. It is a real jewel of the Muslim world, the best example of architecture of the Indian, Persian and Islamic styles. The magnificent mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, who died in childbirth. According to one legend, on the opposite bank of the river there should have been built completely identical building made of black marble, and the two buildings were supposed to be connected via bridge made of gray marble. Today, the Taj Mahal is visited by millions of tourists a year, it certainly deserved to take place in the list of the new seven wonders of the world.
Statue of Christ the Redeemer
Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro
Next Wonder of the World is the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado Mountain in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro. The statue is a symbol of Rio and throughout Brazil. It is one of the highest statues in the world. The height of the statue is 38 meters, arm span - 30 meters, the weight of statue is 1145 tons.
Chichen Itza
Location: Mexico, Yucatan
The ancient city of Chichen Itza is a political and cultural center of the Mayan state, located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. According to archaeologists, Chichen Itza was one of the religious centers, the so-called "places of power" of the Mayan culture.
Pyramids of Giza
Location: Egypt
Formally, the Pyramids of Giza are not among the seven new wonders of the world, but presented it in this list as a non-competitive, an honorary candidate. Egyptian pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, have been preserved to our days. Trips to the pyramids of Egypt are regularly held from the capital and are very popular among tourists.
UNESCO representatives also do not recognize the results of the voting. The decision of the organization was based on the fact that not all the inhabitants of Earth could take part in it. Many regions of the world still have no mobile phones or internet connection.
The protest note was also expressed by the Vatican, accusing the organizers of Internet voting for the seven new wonders of the world in intentionally ignoring Christian monuments. Although in the short list of contenders were included the Statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro and Moscow's St. Basil's Cathedral. In Rome believed that these works of art were included in the list of finalists only because of the political pressure of the two countries, provoked by the London newspaper The Times.
It is quite possible, that soon, the list of 7 new wonders will also change. It may happen due to the fact that modern buildings become more and more popular, and they attract attention of people. Let’s take Burj Khalifa in Dubai, for example. This building is considered to be the highest one in the world. It is not a secret that probably this very building will be included into the next list of 7 modern wonders of the world. Modernism and modernist architecture becomes not only widespread, but very stylish. Today’s architects are planning high buildings with unusual design and forms.