Recently the New 7 Wonders of the World was announced to much pomp and splendor at Libson, Portugal on July 7th, 2007. The big question is did we need a “New 7 Wonders of the World”? The whole thing looked like a mere publicity stunt, and did not concentrate on the real value of these architectural marvels that made into the initial list. More about that later, now for the 7 Wonders.
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The Great Wall of China was built in through several centuries to provide as a fortification against the constantly invading Mongols. Over the years many parts of the great wall have collapsed due to lack of maintenance. The wall is the longest human made structure stretching for about 4000 miles (6400 Km). The Great Wall started as earth works thrown up for protection by different States. The individual sections weren’t connected until the Qin dynasty (221-206 B.C.). Qin Shihuangdi, First Emperor of Qin began conscripting peasants, enemies, and anyone else who wasn’t tied to the land to go to work on the wall.

Petra, Jordan was the capital of the Nabataean Empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). The Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery are architectural wonders of the Middle East. The Nagataeans were excellent canal builders, and their ability to control the water led to the rise of this desert city. The city saw rapid increase in trade and urbanization in the first century AD.

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil is the statue of Jesus standing 38 meters tall atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. It took 5 years to build it and was opened in 1931. Its stands as a symbol of the openness of the Brazilian people.

Machu Picchu, Peru the “Lost city of the Incas” was built around 1450 AD by Emperor Pachacútec at the height of the Inca empire, and was abandoned less than 100 years later, as the empire collapsed under Spanish conquest. It was home of the upper class, 2,430m in the Andes mountains above the Urubamba Valley. Its a wonder how the stones used to build the settlement were carried here with out the aid of modern machinery.

Chichén Itzá, Mexico the Mayan temple city served as the political and economic capital of the Mayan civilization. The pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool and the Hall of the Thousand Pillars are some of the structures that are still standing today. The Mayan civilization demonstrated considerable knowledge in architecture and town planning.

The Colosseum, Italy is a landmark of ancient Roman architecture. The Colosseum is a massive arena which held various shows and gatherings and where the infamous gladiators fought to their death. The location where the Colosseum stands today used to be a lake, all the water was drained and drains built to ensure that water did not stagnate in the building. The building uses the well know Roman arch throughout.

Taj Mahal, India the symbol of everlasting love. It is the mausoleum built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his beloved wife Mumtaz Mahal. Construction began in 1632 and was completed in 1648. The building combines elements of Islamic, Indian, Persian and Turkish architectural styles. The building was constructed of pure white marble with a reflecting pool and gardens around the site. The building always makes one ponder what all can be done for love.

All the nominated wonders seemed to be in place and had some significance except Christ the Redeemer. It is not an architectural wonder, not artistic, did not require considerable human effort and was not ahead of its times. There were better choices instead of that. Christ the Redeemer is in the same league as Statue of Liberty, Eiffel Tower etc, it doesn’t fit in the 7 Wonders of the World list. This makes me think the whole process was a publicity stunt, each of the chosen wonders should have a strong backing of why it was chosen which this one dose not have.

Its done now, not going to change, lets look back at the “7 Ancient Wonders of the World” of which only the Pyramids of Giza are still standing, also the pyramids are placed as a honorary candidate in addition to the current 7 wonders list.

• Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
• Hanging Gardens of Babylon
• Statue of Zeus at Olympia
• Temple of Artemis at Ephesus
• The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
• The Colossus of Rhodes
• The Lighthouse of Alexandria

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• UN World Heritage List