50-Wonders of the World-1
Read about the new    7 Wonders of Architecture World

Now a days voting is going on for selection of the seven wonders of the world. It is interesting to know about its details.
See their complete list on http://wonderclub.com/AllWorldWonders.html

The original 7 wonders were selected by Philon of Byzantium in 200 BC, more than 2000 years ago and were all located around the Mediterranean basin. Some say that they were selected by one man believed by many to be ancient Greek writer Antipater of Sidon. Since six of the seven are already destroyed, only one remains standing today - the Pyramids of Giza (Egypt); there has been several attempts to update this list. Result of the poll will be announced on July 7, 2007 in Lisbon, Portugal.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

(1) The Great Pyramids (Giza, Egypt)

(2) The Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Iraq)
The hanging gardens are said to have stood on the banks of the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq, although there's some doubt as to whether they ever really existed. The Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II supposedly created the terraced gardens around 600 B.C. at his royal palace in the Mesopotamian desert. It is said the gardens were made to please the king's wife, who missed the lush greenery of her homeland in the Medes (now northern Iran). Archaeologists have yet to agree on the likely site of the hanging gardens, but findings in the region that could be its remains include the foundations of a palace and a nearby vaulted building with an irrigation well. The most detailed description is given by Greek historians, but the ancient Babylonian records do not mention them.

(3) The Temple of Artemis at Ephasus

(4) The Statue of Zeus (Olympia, Greece)
The massive gold statue of the king of the Greek gods was built in honor of the original Olympic games, which began in the ancient city of Olympia. The statue, completed by the classical sculptor Phidias around 432 B.C., sat on a jewel-encrusted wooden throne inside a temple overlooking the city. The 40-foot-tall (12-meter-tall) figure held a scepter in one hand and a small statue of the goddess of victory, Nike, in the other—both made from ivory and precious metals. The temple was closed when the Olympics were banned as a pagan practice in A.D. 391, after Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire. The statue was eventually destroyed, although historians debate whether it perished with the temple or was moved to Constantinople (now Istanbul) in Turkey and burned in a fire.

(5) The Mausoleum at Helicarnassus
The famous tomb at Halicarnassus — now the city of Bodrum—was built between 370 and 350 BC for King Mausolus of Caria, a region in the southwest of modern Turkey. It is said that the king's grieving wife Artemisia II had the tomb constructed as a memorial to their love. Mausolus was a governor in the Persian Empire, and his fabled tomb is the source of the word "mausoleum." The structure measured 120 feet (40 m) long and 140 feet (45 m) tall. The tomb was most admired for its architectural beauty and splendor. The central burial chamber was decorated in gold, while the exterior was adorned with ornate stone friezes. The sculptures were created by four Greek artists. The mausoleum stood intact until the early 15th century, when Christian Crusaders dismantled it for building material for a new castle. Some of the sculptures and frieze sections survived and can be seen today at the British Museum in London, England.

(6) The Colossus of Rhodes

(7) The Pharos of Alexandria (Egypt)
The lighthouse was the only ancient wonder that had a practical use. It served as a beacon for ships in the dangerous waters off the Egyptian port city of Alexandria, now called El Iskandariya. It was built  on the small island of Pharos between 285 and 247 BC. It remained the tallest building in the world for many centuries. Its estimated height was 384 feet (117 m)—equivalent to a modern 40-story building—though some people believe it was significantly taller than this. The lighthouse was operated using fire at night and polished bronze mirrors that reflected the sun during the day. It's said that the light could be seen for more than 35 miles (50 kms) out to sea. The huge structure towered over the Mediterranean coast for more than 1,500 years before it was seriously damaged by earthquakes in AD 1303 and 1323./font>

(6) The Inca Ruins of Machu Picchu (Peru), and
One of three successful candidates from Latin America, Machu Picchu is a 15th-century mountain settlement in the Amazon region of Peru. This ruined city is among the best known remnants of the Inca civilization, which flourished in the Andes region of western part of South America. The city is thought to have been abandoned following an outbreak of smallpox, a disease introduced in the 1500s by invading Spanish forces.

Hundreds of people gathered at the remote, 7,970-foot-high (2,430 m) site on Saturday to celebrate Machu Picchu's new “seven wonders” status. The winners were revealed at a soccer stadium in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon. The other two Latin American selections were Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Chichén Itzá, Mexico.

(7) The Ancient Maayaa City (Chichén Itzá, Mexico)
Chichén Itzá is possibly the most famous temple city of the Maayaas, a pre-Columbian civilization that lived in present day Central America. It was the political and religious center of Maayaa civilization during the period from AD 750 to 1200. Temple of Kukulkan, located in the heart of the city which rises to a height of 79 feet (24 m). Each of its four sides has 91 steps—one step for each day of the year, with the 365th day represented by the platform on the top.

Pyramids (Giza, Egypt)
The Egyptian pharaoh Khufu built the Great Pyramid in about 2560 BC to serve as his tomb. The Pyramid is the oldest structure on the original list of the seven wonders of the ancient world, which was compiled by Greek scholars about 2,200 years ago. It is also the only remaining survivor from the original list.

This Great Pyramid is the largest of three Pyramids at Giza, bordering modern-day Cairo. Although weathering has caused the structure to stand a few feet shorter today, the Pyramid was about 480 feet (145 m) high when it was first built. It is thought to have been the planet's tallest human-made structure for more than four millennia.

Initially the Giza Pyramids were top contenders in the Internet and phone ballot to make a new list of world wonders. But leading Egyptian officials were outraged by the contest, saying the Pyramids shouldn't be put to a vote. Egypt's antiquities chief Zahi Hawass told the AFP news agency - "This contest will not detract from the value of the Pyramids, which is the only real wonder of the world,"