Old vs New: The Seven Wonders of the World

In our fast-paced, modern lives, it is sometimes easy to forget that the world is still full of ancient and awe-inspiring wonders.  That all it takes is a week and a plane ticket, and you can be anywhere in the world… soaking up a foreign sun, exploring another culture, being amazed by the beauty of the world.

Now most people have heard of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but few could name perhaps more than two or three of them - at best! 

Originally compiled almost 2,500 years ago by the Greek historian, Herodotus, these ancient monuments conjure up a sense of awe and wonder that sometimes seems lost in our new world of technology and 24 hour living.

Here’s the original list that was compiled thousands of years ago -

The 7 Ancient Wonders of the World:

1.    Great Pyramid of Giza
2.    Hanging Gardens of Babylon
3.    Statue of Zeus at Olympia
4.    Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
5.    Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
6.    Colossus of Rhodes
7.    Lighthouse of Alexandria

Controversial – The 7 New Wonders…

Recently a new list of world wonders has been causing some controversy.

Since antiquity, a number of different lists were created to replace this famous ancient selection of  ‘wonders’ because when Herodotus first put his list together, the known world was a much smaller place based mostly around the Mediterranean Sea.  It was very limited and only included monuments from the local area, completely excluding the rest of the as yet, unknown world.

However, it was only very recently that an entirely new and generally accepted list was put together by the New7Wonders Foundation a not for profit  organization based in Switzerland. 

This new list was compiled based on the votes of over 100 million people from around the globe, and was historically announced on the date of 07-07-07 in homage to the number seven.

It was extremely controversial with some countries upset that they did not receive a place in the top seven wonders.  And because nothing prevented multiple votes from being cast during the contest, some countries tried to sway the results in their favor.  Many actually ran vigorous campaigns for their citizens to vote on a national monument, including Brazil, where phone companies allowed people to vote for free, and even sent them text messages to remind them!

Now that the hype and controversy has settled down the New Seven Wonders of the World has been generally accepted by most people, although not everyone is happy. 

What do you think?  Here is the new list:

The New Seven Wonders of The World:

1.    Taj Mahal, India
2.    Chichen Itza, Mexico
3.    Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
4.    Colosseum, Italy
5.    Great Wall of China, China
6.    Machu Picchu, Peru
7.    Petra , Jordan

Probably the most exciting thing about this list is that unlike the ancient and myth-like wonders… these are all still in existence.  They are truly magnificent places that you can visit just as soon as you get the time, money and the inclination!

What About You?
Have you been lucky enough to travel to any of these thrilling locations? 

If you have been to any of these amazing places we would love to see your photos on our facebook page. 

And if you think that somewhere else should have been included in the top seven, tell us where and why!

We would love to hear your comments.