7 wonders of the world a short description. Seven wonders of the world

21.05.2021

The classic list of the seven wonders of the world has been known to us since school times, when we studied ancient history. Only the pyramids of Egypt have survived to our times, which can be seen by everyone who visits this country. The Pyramid of Cheops at Giza is the only surviving wonder of the world. The rest of the wonders - the Colossus of Rhodes, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Lighthouse of Alexandria - have collapsed over the centuries, some by fires and earthquakes, others by floods.

The classic list of wonders of the world includes:

Pyramid of Cheops (burial place of the pharaoh of Egypt) - was created by the Egyptians in 2540 BC. NS. ;
Hanging Gardens of Babylon - created by the Babylonians in 605 BC NS. ;
The statue of Zeus at Olympia was created by the Greeks in 435 BC. NS.;
Temple of Artemis in Ephesus (built in honor of the goddess Artemis in Turkey) - was created by the Greeks and Persians in 550 BC. NS.;
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus - created by the Carians, Greeks and Persians in 351 BC. NS.;
Colossus of Rhodes - was installed by the Greeks between 292 and 280. BC NS.;
Lighthouse of Alexandria - Built in the 4th century BC. NS. a lighthouse by the Greeks, and named after Alexander the Great.

All the photos below with the wonders of the world are either mock-ups of how the majestic buildings used to look, or what is left of them at the present time. It is a pity that they could not withstand natural disasters.

Some time later, cultural figures began to add additional attractions, "miracles" to this list, which still amaze and inspire. So, at the end of the 1st century, the Roman poet Martial added only the rebuilt Colosseum to the list. After a while, in the 6th century, the Christian theologian Gregory of Tours added Noah's Ark and the Temple of Solomon to the list.

Different sources mention different combinations of wonders of the world, for example, English and French writers and historians equated the Alexandria Catacombs, the Leaning Tower in Pisa, the Porcelain Tower in Nanjing, and the Hagia Sophia Mosque in Istanbul with the wonders of the world.

New list of wonders of the world

In 2007, one of the UN organizations organized a vote to approve a new list of modern wonders of the world. Voted by phone, Internet and SMS. And here's the final list:

The Colosseum in Italy;
The great Wall of China;
Machu Picchu - the ancient city of the Incas in Peru;
Taj Mahal in India - a magnificent mausoleum-mosque in India;
Petra is an ancient city, the capital of the Nabataean kingdom, located in modern Jordan;
a statue of Christ the Redeemer flying over Rio de Janeiro, Brazil;
the pyramids of Giza in Egypt;
Chichen Itza in Mexico, the ancient city of the Mayan civilization.

All of them have survived from ancient times, except for the statue of Christ the Redeemer, which was finally built in 1931 of the last century and since then has become a symbol of Brazil and one of its largest cities - Rio de Janeiro.

How to see them?

The new list of miracles is officially approved by the UN, and now everyone who travels to the country can see them. Not a single excursion route will avoid visiting these attractions. They try to carefully preserve them for future generations, but they are also used for modern needs.

For example, the Colosseum is known for its excellent acoustics. Famous singers and musicians from all over the world often perform there, and operas are staged in the open air.

The Taj Mahal is also open to tourists, but this is the tomb of the beloved wife of the padishah, so it is only viewed and admired for the beauty of its architectural forms and interior painting.

It is considered indecent to be in China and not visit the Great Wall. Many excursions lead to it, but you cannot climb on it: it is a huge obstacle course and it is dangerous to walk on it. Therefore, everyone is photographed at its sites in the most picturesque places.

The pyramids of Giza can be viewed from the outside and inside, and nearby you can see the grandiose statues of the ancient sphinxes.

Excursions to the ancient cities of Machu Picchu, Petra and Chichen Itza are extremely interesting, but physically difficult - you will have to walk along the ruins for a long time. However, the rest of tourists in these countries is well organized, and you will not regret if you spend a day or two visiting these magnificent places.

Chichen Itza - the ancient city of the Mayan Indians

Why exactly 7 wonders of the world, and not 10 or 15?

As you probably already noticed, people used to have a special attitude towards the magic number seven. Everyone knows that there are 7 holes on a person's head - 2 eyes, 2 nostrils, 2 ears and a mouth. When a person sees seven objects at the same time, he can immediately count them with a glance, without even thinking, however, if there are more of them, then he will have to count them in his mind.

Thus, due to seemingly such primitive inferences, people began to strive to shine the number of something to seven. For example, select 7 days in a week, seven colors in a rainbow, 7 tones in a sound range, and so on.

It is not at all surprising that the ancient Greeks singled out exactly the Seven Wonders of the World, because the number 7 was the sacred number of Apollo, the god who patronized art.

Many things that are familiar to you and me are in one way or another connected with the number 7.

These are seven days of the week, seven notes, seven deadly sins, seven sacred church sacraments, "flower - seven-flower", Snow White and the seven dwarfs, and many others. The number 7 is considered symbolic and lucky for many peoples. In ancient civilizations (Babylonian, ancient Greek), it meant completeness, perfection of the world, the sum of its main components (4 parts of the world and the basis of life in the person of parents and a child). The city of Rome was built on 7 hills. To describe all such examples, you need to spend a lot of time, so let's move on to describing the history of occurrence 7 Wonders of the World.

The first mentions of the wonders of the world appeared in Ancient Greece... So the historian and philosopher Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century. BC, listed 3 wonders of the world:

1) Temple of the goddess Hera on the island of Samos;

2) Aqueduct delivering water through a system of tunnels (Samos island);

3) A dam protecting the port from sea storms (Samos island).

Since then, people have increasingly begun to describe the most grandiose and significant architectural buildings, so the list of Herodotus has been completely updated and expanded two centuries later.

The writer from Sidon (Phenicia) Antipater, in the third century BC, became the author of a new list 7 Wonders of the World the ancient world, which has survived practically unchanged to our time. Traveling to different countries, he left reviews about each of them, paying special attention to the most important architectural monuments. He could only tell us about those architectural masterpieces that were not destroyed by natural disasters or military actions, otherwise the list of wonders of the world could have become much more voluminous. Also in the classic interpretation of the list 7 Wonders of the World, did not include structures built by man later than the 3rd century BC.

So, such grandiose man-made architectural projects as: Tower of babel, walls of the city of Babylon, Alexandria library, Cyrus Palace in Persepolis, Acropolis of Athens with a statue of the goddess Athena, Temple of King Solomon, Roman Colosseum, Capitol and many others.

Let's move on to the description miracles Sveta in the classic chronological version.

1) The Pyramid of Cheops built by the Egyptians around 2550 BC. AD. Located in the valley of Giza (Egypt), and intended as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops. This is one of seven wonders of the world, which has survived almost in its original form to our time and is very popular with tourists from all over the world.

2) Hanging Gardens of Babylon, were built around 600 BC. AD in the city of Babylon, (modern Iraq). The gardens were presented as a gift to the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar II. This architectural monument has not survived to this day, as it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years after its construction.

3) Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built in 550 BC. AD Greeks, Lydians and Persians near the city of Ephesus (Turkey). This temple was erected in honor of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was plundered and destroyed 2 times (first by Herostratus in 370 BC, and then by the tribes of the Goths in the 3rd century AD). As a result, the fire completely burned down the temple.

4) Statue of Zeus, created by the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias in 435 BC. was originally installed in Olympia (Greece), where the Olympic Games were held every 4 years, in the Temple of Zeus. The god Zeus is depicted in the form of a statue seated on a throne, with a scepter on which Zeus's messenger Eagle is located. The temple statue, impressive in its size, execution and cost, was destroyed during a fire that occurred at the Hippodrome of the city of Constantinople in the 5th century AD.

5) mausoleum in Halicarnassus erected jointly by Carian, Persian and Greek architects in 351 BC. under the direction of the architect Pytheus. The mausoleum was the tomb of the ruler of Caria - King Mavsol and his wife, Artemisia and was located near the city of Halicarnassus (Turkey). Only architectural fragments and the foundation of the mausoleum, destroyed in 1494 by a strong earthquake, have survived to this day. Miraculously survived 2 statues - King Masola and Queen Artemisia. They are currently housed in the British Museum in London.

6) The Colossus of Rhodes a huge 18-meter statue in a bronze case, dedicated to the sun god Helios, in honor of the victory of the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes (Greece) over the troops of Dimetrius Poliokret in 304 BC. The work was completed in 280 BC. The statue stood for a little over 66 years, after which several elements of the statue fell off during the earthquake. In the 7th century. AD the bronze body of the statue was completely dismantled.

7) Alexandrian lighthouse, erected in the III century. BC. at the direction of Alexander the Great. The lighthouse was located on the island of Pharos, near the newly built city of Alexandria (Egypt). It was a grandiose architectural structure over 130 meters in height. It was crowned with a statue of the god Zeus. The lighthouse made it possible to navigate not only during the day, but also at night. From the name of the island on which it was located (Pharos) in the 19th century. were named lighting devices for cars - headlights. Having stood for more than a millennium, the lighthouse nevertheless fell under the pressure of the elements. In 783 A.D. The Alexandria lighthouse was destroyed by a strong earthquake. And in its place in the 15th century. the Turks built a fortress, which has survived to this day.

Nowadays, it is customary to call the miracle of the world unique artistic and technical creations, which by their level of performance are admired by most specialists. But in fairness, this erroneous approach should be corrected - the wonders of the world include specific objects created by people in distant antiquity.

Below is a list of 7 wonders of the ancient world ...

1. Pyramids of Cheops (Giza)

The pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu (in the Greek version of Cheops), or the Great Pyramid, is the greatest of the Egyptian pyramids, the oldest of the seven wonders of the world of antiquity and the only one that has survived to our time. For over four thousand years, the pyramid was the largest building in the world.

The pyramid of Cheops is located in the distant suburb of Cairo Giza. Nearby are two more pyramids of the pharaohs Khafre and Menkaura (Khafren and Mikerin), according to ancient historians, the sons and successors of Khufu. These are the three largest pyramids in Egypt.

Following ancient authors, most modern historians consider pyramids to be burial structures of ancient Egyptian monarchs. Some scientists believe that these were astronomical observatories. There is no direct evidence that the pharaohs were buried in the pyramids, but other versions of their purpose are less convincing.

On the basis of ancient "royal lists" it is established that Cheops ruled around 2585-2566. BC. The construction of the "Sacred Height" lasted 20 years and ended after the death of Khufu, around 2560 BC.

Other versions of the construction time, based on astronomical methods, give dates from 2720 to 2577. BC. The radiocarbon method shows a spread of 170 years, from 2850 to 2680. BC.

There are also exotic opinions expressed by supporters of the theories of aliens visiting the Earth, the existence of ancient civilizations, or adherents of occult movements. They determine the age of the Cheops pyramid from 6-7 to tens of thousands of years.

2. Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)

The existence of one of the wonders of the world, many scientists question and argue that it is nothing more than a figment of the imagination of an ancient chronicler, whose idea was picked up by his colleagues and began to diligently rewrite from chronicle to chronicle. They argue their assertion by the fact that the most thoroughly described the gardens of Semiramis are precisely those who have not seen them in the eyes, while historians who have visited ancient Babylon are silent about the miracle erected there.

Archaeological excavations have shown that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon did exist.

Naturally, they did not hang on ropes, but were a four-story building, built in the form of a pyramid with a huge amount of vegetation, and were part of the palace building. This unique building got its name from an incorrect translation of the Greek word "kremastos", which actually means "hanging" (for example, from a terrace).

The unique gardens were erected by order of the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar II, who lived in the 7th century. BC. He built them specially for his wife Amitis, daughter of Cyaxar, king of Media (it was with him that the Babylonian ruler made an alliance against the common enemy, Assyria - and won a final victory over this state).

Amitis, who grew up among the mountains of the green and fertile Mussels, did not like the dusty and noisy Babylon, located on a sandy plain. The Babylonian ruler faced a choice - to move the capital closer to his wife's homeland or to make her stay in Babylon more comfortable. He decided to build hanging gardens that would remind the queen of her homeland. Where exactly they are located, history is silent, and therefore there are several hypotheses:

The main version says that this wonder of the world is located near the modern city of Hill, which is located on the Efrat River in the center of Iraq.
An alternative version, based on re-deciphering the cuneiform tablets, claims that the Hanging Gardens of Babylon are located in Nineveh, the capital of Assyria (located in the north of modern Iraq), which after its fall went to the Babylonian state.

The very idea of creating hanging gardens in the middle of a dry plain looked fantastic at the time. Local architects and engineers of the ancient world were able to do this task - and the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, which were later included in the list of the seven wonders of the world, were built, became part of the palace and were located on its northeastern side.

They say that the statue of Zeus in Olympia turned out to be so majestic that when Phidias, having created it, asked his creation: "Are you satisfied, Zeus?" - thunder struck, and the black marble floor at the feet of the god cracked. The Thunderer was pleased.

Despite the fact that only memories of one of the most majestic statues of this magnitude have come down to us, the mere description of the monument, which was in its way a real jewelry masterpiece, cannot but amaze the imagination. Both before and after the creation of the statue of Olympian Zeus, people did not create a monument of this scale - and it is not a fact that they will ever create it: this wonder of the world turned out to be too expensive in cost and huge in scale.

The uniqueness of this monument also lies in the fact that the statue of Olympian Zeus, the only one of all the wonders of the ancient world, was located on the territory of continental Europe, in the Greek city of Olympia, which is located on the Balkan Peninsula.

The statue of Zeus in Olympia took a long time to create: Phidias spent about ten years on it. When she appeared before the inhabitants and guests of Olympia in 435 BC, she was a real wonder of the world.

The exact dimensions of the statue have not yet been determined, but apparently, its height ranged from 12 to 17 meters. Zeus, naked to the waist, sat on the throne, his legs were on a bench supported by two lions. The pedestal on which the throne was located was quite huge: its dimensions were 9.5 by 6.5 m. Ebony, gold, ivory and jewelry were used for its manufacture.

The throne itself was decorated with images of scenes from the life of Greek celestials, the goddesses of victory danced on its legs, and the battles of the Greeks with the Amazons were captured on the crossbars, and, naturally, the Olympic Games were not without (Panen was engaged in painting). The Thunderer was made of ebony wood, and his entire body was covered with plates of the highest quality ivory. The master selected materials for his statue very meticulously.

On the head of the supreme god was a wreath, and in one hand he held the golden Nika, the goddess of Victory, in the other - a scepter decorated with an eagle, symbolizing the supreme power. The god's clothes were made of gold sheets (in total, it took about two hundred kilograms of gold to make the sculpture). The thunderer's cloak was decorated with images of representatives of the animal and plant world.

Nowadays, a marble copy of one of the wonders of the world can be seen in the Hermitage, where it was brought from Italy in 1861. Apparently, this statue of Zeus was created by a Roman author in the first century BC, and it was found during archaeological excavations in the vicinity of Rome at the end of the 18th century. It is notable for the fact that today it is one of the largest antique sculptures that are in museums in the world - the height of the monument is 3.5 meters and weighs 16 tons.

The sculpture was acquired at the beginning of the 19th century by one of the Italian collectors, the Marquis D. Campana.

It did not stay with him for long, because after a while he went bankrupt, his property was confiscated and sold at auction. Before the auction, the director of the Hermitage managed to persuade the Italian authorities to give him the opportunity to purchase some things before the sale, thus, the best exhibits from the collection of the ruined marquis, including the statue of the Thunderer, ended up in the Hermitage.

4. Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (Ephesus)

According to the ancient Greek belief, Artemis was the goddess of hunting and fertility, the patroness of all life on earth. She looked after animals in the forest, herds of domestic animals, plants. Artemis provided a happy marriage and childbirth assistance.

In honor of Artemis, a temple was built in Ephesus on the site of the former sanctuary of the Carian goddess, also responsible for fertility. The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was so large that it immediately fell into the list of the seven wonders of the world of the ancient world. Financing of the construction was covered by the Lydian king Croesus, the construction business was supervised by the architect from Knossos Harsifron. Under him, they managed to erect walls and columns. After his death, his son Metagen took over as chief architect. The last phase of construction was supervised by Peonith and Demetrius.

The construction of the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was completed in 550 BC. A delightful sight opened up in front of the locals, something like this had never been built here. And although at the present time it is impossible to recreate the former decoration of the temple, you can be sure that the best masters of their time, employed here at work, could not fail. The very statue of the culprit of the building was made of ivory and gold.

It was possible to recreate the image of the former majestic temple of the goddess Artemis in Ephesus only after archaeological excavations. The temple measured 105 by 51 meters. The roof of the structure was supported by 127 columns, each 18 meters high. According to legend, each column was donated by one of 127 Greek rulers.

In addition to religious services, the temple was full of financial and business life. It was the center of Ephesus, independent of the authorities, subordinate to the local college of priests.

In 356 BC, when the famous Alexander the Great was born, the Temple of Artemis was burned by the Ephesian resident Herostratus. The motive for this feat is to remain in history in memory of posterity. After the arsonist was caught, the capital punishment awaited. In addition to it, it was also decided to eradicate the name of this person from history. But what is forbidden is even more firmly embedded in the memory of people, and the name of Herostratus is now a household name.

By the 3rd century BC, the wonder of the world, the Temple of Artemis in Greece, was restored at the initiative of the aforementioned Alexander the Great, but with the arrival of the Goths, it was again destroyed. Later, with the prohibition of pagan cults, the Byzantine authorities closed the temple. Then they begin to gradually disassemble into building materials, as a result of which the temple disappears into oblivion. A Christian church was erected in its place, but it also faced the fate of destruction.

On October 31, 1869, the English archaeologist Voodoo manages to find the location of the former temple of Artemis in Turkey, and excavations begin. Now in its place is one column restored from the wreckage. Despite this, the place still attracts thousands of tourists.

5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus

Fast forward to the ancient city of Halicarnassus. It was the capital of Caria and, as the capital of the state deserves, was famous for its beauty and grandeur. Temples, theaters, palaces, gardens, fountains, a living harbor guaranteed the city honor and respect. But special attention was paid to the tomb of King Mavsol, one of the seven wonders of the world in the ancient world. So, the wonder of the world is the mausoleum at Halicarnassus.

King Mausolus, who ruled Caria in the 4th century BC (377-353 years), according to the experience of the Egyptian pharaohs, he began the construction of his tomb during his lifetime. It was supposed to be a unique structure. Located in the center of the city, among palaces and temples, it symbolizes the power and wealth of the king. And to worship the deceased king, she must combine both a tomb and a temple. The best architects and sculptors were allocated for the construction - Pythias, Satyr, Leohar, Skopas, Briaxides, Timofey. After the death of the king, his wife, Queen Artemisia, approached the construction of an eternal monument to the great husband even more intensively.

The building was completed in 350 BC. Its external appearance combined several architectural styles of that time at once. The mausoleum had three levels with a total height of 46 meters. The first tier was a massive brick plinth faced with marble. Further on it was a temple with 36 columns. The columns supported the roof in the form of a pyramid with 24 steps. At the top of the roof there was a sculpture of King Mavsol and Artemisia in a chariot drawn by 4 horses. Statues of horsemen and lions were located around the building. The beauty of the building was mesmerizing, it was no coincidence that the mausoleum in Halicarnassus quickly entered the seven wonders of the ancient world.

The very tomb of Mavsol and his wife was located in the premises of the lower tier. An upper room with columns and a statue of Mausolus was built to worship the king. The statue has survived to this day, and fully reflects the image of the king-despot. The sculptor's facial features subtly conveyed the character of Mavsol - evil, cruel, capable of getting everything he needs. It was no coincidence that he was a very rich man. Next to the statue of Mavsol was a statue of Queen Artemisia. The sculptor embellished it, presented it in a stately, soft manner. The famous sculptor of that time Skopas worked on it. Both of these statues are now considered some of the finest in 4th century BC Greek culture. The upper part of the base of the mausoleum is also worth mentioning. The sculptors decorated it with scenes from the Greek epic - the battle with the Amazons, the hunt, the battle of the Lapiths with the centaurs.

Mausoleum - a word derived from the name of King Mavsol, is currently a common noun among all peoples.

After 18 centuries, the mausoleum was destroyed by an earthquake. Later, its ruins were used for the construction of the castle of St. Peter by the knights-John. When the Turks arrived, the castle became the Budrun fortress, now called Bodrum. Excavations were carried out here in 1857. Relief slabs, statues of Mavsol and Artemisia, and a statue of a chariot were found. They are currently on display at the British Museum.

6. Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes)

The Colossus of Rhodes is a huge statue that has become one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The grateful inhabitants of the island of Rhodes decided to build it in honor of the sun god Helios, who helped them withstand the unequal struggle against the invaders. The siege of the beautiful island lasted for almost a year and the probability of victory was negligible, but the patron helped the islanders defeat. For this, Helios was immortalized in the guise of a huge statue. For the people of Rhodes, the statue represented independence and freedom, just like the Statue of Liberty in New York was for the Americans.

The island of Rhodes had an advantageous geographical position, its inhabitants freely traded with many countries, which ensured the wealth of the city as a whole and each citizen individually. From the moment of foundation to the III century. BC. Rhodes was ruled in turn by the famous king Mavsol, the Persian rulers and Alexander the Great. None of them oppressed the city and did not interfere with its development. However, after the death of Alexander the Great, his heirs in a bloody struggle began to divide the inherited lands.

The island of Rhodes went to Ptolemy, but another heir (Antigonus) considered it unjust and sent his son to destroy the city. This would help equalize in power with Ptolemy. Demetrius, son of Antigonus, gathered a huge army that outnumbered the islanders. Only impregnable walls prevented the soldiers from immediately entering the capital and destroying it. Enemies used siege towers - huge wooden catapults that were installed on ships. The inhabitants of Rhodes managed to detain the enemies until the arrival of the army of Ptolemy and to defend their homeland.

Having sold the siege engines and the surviving ships of the invaders, the inhabitants of Rhodes decided to erect a huge statue of the god Helios, their patron. Until that time, any statues were called colossus, but after the Colossus of Rhodes, only the largest of them began to be called so.

Construction of the Colossus began in 302 BC. and finished only after 12 years (according to other sources, after 20 years). The statue was erected on an artificial embankment that blocked the entrance to the harbor. Behind this hill, for a long time, individual parts of the sculpture were hidden from prying eyes. The embankment with the statue turned into a kind of gateway to the city. Some poets have described the Colossus as standing on two hills. The ships were supposed to sail between the legs of Helios. However, this version is considered dubious. The stability of such a sculpture would be too small, and large ships would not be able to dock in the port.

The statue has not survived to this day, but numerous descriptions of contemporaries indicate that the Colossus stood on one of the banks, and not at all in the form of an arch, as the artists depict it. In the giant's hand was a bowl with a blazing fire. At the base there were three pillars that served as a support. The builders inlaid two of them with bronze details to disguise at the feet of Helios. The third pillar was in the place where the cloak or part of the sheet of the majestic Colossus fell.

The inhabitants wanted the statue to point with its hand into the distance, but the sculptor understood that this would reduce the stability of the structure, so the statue seemed to cover its eyes from the sun with its palm. The torso and main elements were made from sheets of iron and bronze. They were fixed on support pillars. The space inside was filled with large stones and clay to increase stability. The free space was covered with earth so that workers could move freely over the surface and secure the following parts. In total, the manufacture of the Colossus took 8 tons of iron and 13 tons of bronze. The resulting statue reached a height of 34 m.

The statue of the Colossus of Rhodes was so huge that it was seen from ships sailing in the distance. According to the descriptions of contemporaries, she was a tall youth with a radiant crown on her head. One hand of the young man covered his eyes, and the other picked up the falling robe.

Another poet, Philo, described the Colossus differently. He claimed that the statue was on a marble plinth and was striking in the size of its feet. Each of them was itself the size of a small statue. On an outstretched hand was a working torch. It was lit at night to light the way for sailors.

Scientists are still trying to find out where the Colossus of Rhodes is or exactly where it was installed. At the end of the 20th century, huge boulders were discovered off the coast of the island of Rhodes, which resembled the fragments of a statue. However, the theory that these are elements of an ancient statue was not confirmed. But the researcher Ursula Vedder suggested that the Colossus was not at all near the coast, but on the hill of Monte Smith. The ruins of the Temple of Helios have been preserved here, and its foundation has a suitable platform on which the Colossus could rise.

7. Alexandria Lighthouse (Pharos)

Only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world had a practical purpose - the Alexandria lighthouse. It performed several functions at once: it allowed ships to approach the harbor without any problems, and the observation post, located at the top of the unique structure, made it possible to follow the water expanses and notice the enemy in time.

Locals claimed that the light of the Alexandria lighthouse burned enemy ships even before they approached the coast, and if they managed to approach the coast, the statue of Poseidon, located on the dome of an amazing design, emitted a shrill warning cry.

The height of the old lighthouse was 140 meters - much higher than the surrounding buildings. In ancient times, buildings did not exceed three floors, and against their background, the Pharos lighthouse seemed huge. Moreover, at the time of the completion of construction, it turned out to be the tallest building of the ancient world and had been such for an extremely long time.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built on the east coast of the small island of Pharos, near Alexandria, Egypt's main seaport, built by Alexander the Great in 332 BC. It is also known in history as the Pharos lighthouse.

The great commander chose the place for the construction of the city very carefully: he initially planned to build a port in this region, which would be an important trade center.

It was extremely important that he was at the intersection of both water and land routes of the three parts of the world - Africa, Europe and Asia. For the same reason, at least two harbors had to be built here: one for ships arriving from the Mediterranean Sea, and the other for those who sailed along the Nile.

Therefore Alexandria was not built in the Nile Delta, but a little to the side, twenty miles to the south. When choosing a place for the city, Alexander took into account the location of the future harbors, while he paid special attention to their strengthening and protection: it was very important to do everything so that the waters of the Nile did not clog them with sand and silt (especially for this, a dam was subsequently built connecting the continent with an island).

After the death of Alexander the Great (who, according to legend, was born on the day of the destruction of the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus), after a while the city fell under the rule of Ptolemy I Soter - and as a result of skillful management it turned into a successful and prosperous port city, and the construction of one of the seven wonders of the world was significant. increased his wealth.

The Alexandria lighthouse made it possible for ships to sail into the port without any problems, successfully bypassing pitfalls, shallows and other obstacles of the bay. Thanks to this, after the erection of one of the seven wonders, the volume of trade of light increased dramatically.

The lighthouse also served as an additional reference point for sailors: the landscape of the Egyptian coast is quite diverse - mostly only lowlands and plains. Therefore, the signal lights in front of the entrance to the harbor were very useful.

A lower structure would have successfully coped with this role, so the engineers assigned another important function to the Alexandria lighthouse - the role of an observation post: the enemies usually attacked from the sea, since the country was well defended by the desert from the land side.

It was also necessary to establish such an observation post at the lighthouse because there were no natural hills near the city where this could be done.

The Alexandria lighthouse has served since 283 BC. until the 15th century, when a fortress was erected instead. Thus, he survived more than one dynasty of Egyptian rulers, saw Roman legionaries. This did not particularly affect his fate: whoever ruled Alexandria, everyone took care that the unique structure stood as long as possible - they restored the building parts that had collapsed due to frequent earthquakes, renewed the facade, which was negatively affected by wind and salty sea water.

Time has done its job: the lighthouse stopped working in 365, when one of the strongest earthquakes in the Mediterranean caused a tsunami that flooded part of the city, and the death toll of Egyptians, according to chroniclers, exceeded 50 thousand inhabitants.

After this event, the lighthouse significantly decreased in size, but it stood for quite a long time - until the XIV century, until the next strongest earthquake wiped it off the face of the earth (a hundred years later, the Sultan Kait-bey built a fortress on its foundation, which can be seen and these days). After that, the pyramids in Giza remained the only ancient wonder of the world that has survived to this day.

In the mid-90s. The remains of the Alexandria lighthouse were discovered at the bottom of the bay with the help of a satellite, and after a while, scientists, using computer modeling, were able to more or less restore the image of a unique structure.

Much is subject to modern man: people conquer outer space, reveal more and more mysteries of nature - there is no way to list everything. It is more and more difficult to amaze the imagination of a modern person, because before his eyes the most daring dreams ever created by an irrepressible human fantasy come true.

However, what today seems to be an extraordinary miracle and the pinnacle of creative thought, after a few decades will become as commonplace and familiar as, for example, television for you and me now. Nevertheless, there are things that are capable of surprising regardless of the time, which in many generations will be looked at with admiration and, probably, with trepidation as they are today. You probably guessed what I'm talking about "Wonders of the world".

As you know, there were seven wonders of the world, which are now called "wonders of the ancient world." Only one of them has survived to this day - the legendary pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Therefore, on the initiative of the Swiss Bernard Werber, a project was organized to determine which of the existing structures and attractions are worthy of being called “wonders of the world”.

The non-profit organization "New Open World Corporation" held a worldwide vote, which was attended by more than 90 million people around the world. The winners were selected from several dozen applicants for the title of one of the seven wonders of the world, and the results of the competition were announced in Lisbon on July 7, 2007, the “day of three sevens”.

So, we invite you to see photos of the new seven wonders of the world, as well as read their brief descriptions:

Location: China

This is the largest architectural structure in the world, the length of the wall is 8851.8 kilometers. was built to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire from nomadic 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 tourists a year come to the country to see the Great Wall of China with their own eyes. By the way, one of the sections of the wall runs near the capital of China - Beijing.

Location: Italy, Rome

This is the largest of the ancient Roman amphitheaters, a full-fledged symbol of the Eternal City, perhaps the most recognizable architectural monument in the world. Its second name - the Flavian Amphitheater - was received in honor of the Flavian dynasty, which then ruled in ancient Rome and organized the construction of the amphitheater. For a long time, gladiator fights and other entertainment shows for guests and residents of Rome were held in the Colosseum.

Location: Peru

The legendary ancient city of the Incas, located in the territory of modern Peru. Machu Picchu is nicknamed "the city among the clouds" due to its location - it is located on the top of one of the mountain ranges, at an altitude of 2,450 meters above sea level. The city was built by the ruler of the Incas Pachacutec as an imperial residence - a "sacred mountain refuge".

Location: Jordan

The famous stone carved city of Petra, located in the territory of modern Jordan. The city is located in the Arava valley, in the Siq canyon, surrounded on all sides by steep cliffs. You can enter the valley only through narrow gorges, which are a kind of gateway to the city. Most of the city's buildings are carved into the rocks of red sandstone - even the name of the city "Petra" is translated as "rock". More than half a million tourists a year come to see the mysterious city of stone. By the way, the final scenes of Steven Spielberg's famous film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade were filmed here in Petra.

Location: India

The mausoleum-mosque Taj Mahal of white marble is located in the city of Agra in India, on the banks of the Jamna River. It is a true gem of the Muslim world, the finest example of Indian, Persian and Islamic architecture. The magnificent mausoleum was built by Emperor Shah Jahan in honor of his wife, who died in childbirth.

According to one of the legends, an absolutely identical building of black marble was to be built on the opposite bank of the river, and a bridge of gray marble was supposed to connect them. Today, the Taj Mahal is visited by millions of tourists a year, it undoubtedly deservedly took its place in the list of the new seven wonders of the world.

Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro

The next wonder of the world is the magnificent statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Mount Corcovado in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The statue is considered a symbol of Rio and all of Brazil, and is one of the tallest sculptures in the world. The height of the statue is 38 meters, the span of the arms is 30 meters, and the weight of the statue is 1145 tons.

Location: Mexico, Yucatan

The ancient city of Chichen Itza is the 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.

Location: Egypt

Formally, the Pyramids of Giza are not among the seven new wonders of the world, but are present here as an out-of-competition, honorary candidate. The Egyptian pyramids are the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that has survived to this day. Excursions to the pyramids are regularly held from the capital of Egypt and are very popular with tourists.

Everyone knows that there were only seven wonders of the world in the world. Which of them have survived and which have sunk into oblivion?

Unfortunately, six of the seven wonders of the world have not survived. And only one thing remains to please the eyes of tourists. Moreover, the wonder of the world, which has survived to this day, is the most ancient. How old is he, where is it? We will definitely answer this question. But first, let us remember all of them, and in order, starting with the youngest - built in the 3rd century BC.

Six wonders of the world that have not survived to this day

The Colossus of Rhodes is a giant (colossal), at that time, antique statue of the ancient Greek god of the Sun Helios, erected on the island of Rhodes (in the Aegean Sea), in the city of the same name.

The statue was commissioned by the people of Rhodes from the sculptor Hares. Initially, they planned that it would be ten times taller than human growth, but later they increased the height of the project to 36 meters.

Construction began in 292 BC. e and lasted 12 years. The Colossus of Rhodes stood on a marble pedestal, had an iron frame and was faced with bronze plates, and the inner volume was filled with clay. At the same time, it is known that its construction took about 8 tons of iron and about 13 tons of bronze.

The Colossus of Rhodes only stood for about 55 years and was destroyed by an earthquake in about 225 BC.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was built in the third century BC in ancient Egypt on the island of Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria. It was built from 5 to 20 years (here the data vary) during the reign of the king of Egypt Ptolemy II. The approximate year of completion of construction is considered to be 283 BC. The name of the architect is known; he was Sostrat of Cnidus.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria was made of marble (or cladding) and had three levels:

the lower level was rectangular and had living quarters
the middle level was octagonal
the upper level is the cylinder in which the lighthouse light burned

The Alexandria lighthouse received another name in honor of the island on which it was built - the Pharos lighthouse. It was about 130 meters high, and its light was noticeable for ships, according to various sources, at a distance of 50 to 80 kilometers.

The lighthouse stood intact until 796 AD. This year, a strong earthquake severely damaged it. It has been restored, but not in full. It is known that in the 14th century its height was only 30 meters. And in the 15th century Sultan Al-Ashraf Saif al-Din Qayt-Bey built on this place the fortress "Qayt-Bey", which exists to this day.

The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is the tombstone of Mausolus, the ruler of the Carian people. The ancient city of Halicarnassus, where the mausoleum was built, was located on the territory of modern Turkey (the city of Bodrum).

The erection of the mausoleum was ordered by the wife of Mavsol Artemisy III during the life of her husband. The Greek architects Satyr and Pytheas took over the construction. The well-known sculptors of that time Briaxides, Leohar, Scopas and Timofeos were also involved in the work.

The mausoleum was built for eight years from 359 to 351 BC. Mavsol did not wait for the completion of the construction and died in 353.

The resulting structure was 45 meters high, the first level was decorated with 36 columns and many statues, a pyramid towered above it, at the top of which was a marble quadriga - a two-wheeled chariot with four horses harnessed to it.

The Halicarnassus mausoleum stood for 19 centuries and the ball was destroyed by a strong earthquake in the 13th century.

For reference: the word "mausoleum" comes from the name of Mavsol.

The Olympic Games, in honor of the god of thunder and lightning - Zeus, were held in ancient Greece from 776 BC. They were very popular. And now, after 300 years, the Greeks decided to build a temple in honor of their main god and patron saint of the Olympic Games. In 470 BC, they began collecting donations for its construction.

When funds were raised, construction began on the temple, which lasted ten years between 466 and 456 BC. The Temple of Zeus turned out to be truly grandiose: a marble roof measuring 27 by 64 meters was supported by 34 limestone columns. Each column was 10.6 meters high and more than 2 meters in diameter. And the total area of the building was 1728 square meters.

The temple was built. After some time, the question arose about creating a statue worthy of the god Zeus. The famous Athenian sculptor Phidias took over its creation. To do this, he needed a giant workshop equal in area to the temple itself, which was built 80 meters from it.

The unveiling of the statue of Zeus at Olympia took place in 435 BC. NS. It was made using the technique of chryso-elephantine sculpture: the wooden frame was pasted over with ivory plates, and the cape, the scepter with the eagle in the left hand, the statue of the goddess Nike in the right hand, and the olive wreath on the head were covered with gold. And with all this, Zeus sits on a golden throne. Information about the height of the statue varies: together with the pedestal, it was 12-17 meters.

The statue has existed for over 800 years. The last written testimony about her dates back to 363. And in the 11th century, the historian Georgy Kedrin argued that in the 5th century the statue was still intact. It could have been transferred to Constantinople, where it burned down in a fire in 476. According to another version, she was not transported anywhere, and she died along with the temple in the fire of 425.

The Temple of Artemis of Ephesus, as you might guess, was located in the ancient Greek city of Ephesus, not far from the modern city of Selcuk (far west of Turkey). The temple was erected in honor of Artemis - the goddess of hunting and fertility, and the patroness of all life on Earth.

Funds for the construction of the temple were donated by the Lydian king Croesus, and the project was developed by the architect Khersifron. He erected the walls and the colonnade of the temple. Without waiting for the completion of the construction, Khersiphron died. The construction was continued by his son Metagenes, and the construction of the temple was completed by the architects Paeonius and Demetrius.

The Temple of Artemis was built around 550 BC. And in 356 BC. BC, it was destroyed by a fire, which, according to legend, a resident of Ephesus named Herostratus. Thus, Herostratus just wanted to become famous and achieved his goal.

By 323 BC, the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was completely rebuilt by the architect Alexander Deinocrates. And the funds for this were allocated by Alexander the Great. The temple turned out to be exactly the same as its previous version, except that it was raised on a higher stepped base. The roof was supported by 127 columns, standing in eight rows and having a height of 18 meters. The length of the temple was 105 meters, and the width was 52. The inside of the temple was decorated with sculptures, bas-reliefs and paintings.

The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus successfully existed for several centuries, before it was plundered by the Goths in 263 AD. And at the end of the 4th century it was closed and destroyed by Christians, due to the prohibition of paganism.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the most controversial wonder of the world. It is not known for certain whether they existed at all. Moreover, if they did exist, it was not at the time when Queen Semiramis lived.

The legend is this: the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II entered into a military alliance with Cyaxar, king of Media, and in order to consolidate the alliance, he married Cyaxar's daughter, whose name was Amitis (Amanis). Amitis moved to her husband in Babylon (the ruins of Babylon are located on the outskirts of the modern city of Al Hillah in Iraq), which was a dusty and dry desert city.

Amitis missed her mountainous and green homeland - Media. And in order to extinguish this boredom, Nebuchadnezzar II ordered the construction of green hanging gardens. They were supposedly created in 605 BC.

And Semiramis, the legendary queen of Assyria, the wife of King Nina, lived two centuries earlier. So the "Hanging Gardens of Babylon" is more correctly called "Hanging Gardens of Amitis". As for the term "hanging garden", it implies a garden that is located on the roof, gallery or special stone supports. Plants grow in it on a loose soil layer.

According to the legends, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon existed until the first century AD.

The Pyramid of Cheops is the oldest and highest wonder of the world. And besides, the only one that has survived to this day. And that means the most durable. It is located on the Giza plateau at the base of the Nile Delta, not far from Cairo, in Egypt.

Although about 4500 years have passed since the construction, we know (how reliable this knowledge is - the question) who its architect was. It was the nephew of Cheops - Hemiun. The construction was supposedly completed sometime around 2540 BC and took about 20 years.

It is impossible to confirm the exact date of the beginning of the construction of the pyramid of Hiops. Different methods of its determination gave different results, which fit into the following period: 2850 - 2560 BC. At the same time, Egypt celebrates the official date for the start of construction: August 23, 2560 BC. NS.

The Cheops pyramid is made of blocks of granite and limestone (mainly limestone). Now it has a stepped appearance, but originally it was faced with white limestone (the so-called Jurassic marble) and had sloping slopes. In some places, this cladding has been preserved. The slopes of the pyramid shone in the sun with a peach color, and the top was crowned with a gilded stone - the pyramidion.

The height of the pyramid is 135.5 meters (originally - 146.6 meters). The length of the sides of the base is approximately 230 meters. The base area is about 53,000 square meters. And the average weight of one stone block is 2.5 tons. At the same time, the heaviest block weighs 35 tons. In total, there are about 2.3 million blocks in the pyramid. The total weight of the pyramid is 6.5 million tons.

For more than 3000 years, the Cheops pyramid was the tallest human creation, and in 1311 Lincoln Cathedral was built in England, the spire of which was already 160 meters high. True, in 1549 the spire collapsed. Now the height of the cathedral does not exceed 83 meters.

As for the purpose of the Cheops pyramid, it is not known for certain. It is logical to assume that it is the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops (Khufu), but no mummies were found in it.

The eighth wonder of the world

Officially, the eighth wonder of the world does not exist. This term is used to call some of the grandiose structures of mankind, which could claim the title of a wonder of the world, but ... but there are only seven wonders of the world and this list cannot be expanded.