The ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’ 2017

These sites and monuments are popularly known as the “new Seven Wonders of the World,” modern additions to the ancient Seven Wonders laid out by Philo of Byzantium in 250 B.C., which included the hanging gardens of Babylon and the pyramids of Giza. (Of those ancient seven, only the pyramids remain.)  

The new wonders were chosen in 2007 through an online contest put on by a Swiss company, the New 7 Wonders Foundation, in which more than tens of millions of people voted. All are Unesco World Heritage sites. The following list of seven winners is presented without ranking, and aims to represent global heritage:

 The Great Wall of China:  Built from 220 B.C. to A.D. 1644 by several emperors and dynasties.

The Taj Mahal, India:  Built 1632-48. Commissioned by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.

 Petra. Jordan: Built 4th century B.C. to 2nd century A.D. by the Nabatean kingdom.

The Colosseum, Italy: Built A.D. 72-82. Commissioned by Flavian emperors during the first century of the Roman Empire.

Christ the Redeemer, Brazil: Built 1926-31. Commissioned by the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro.

 Chichén Itzá, Mexico: Built 5th-13th century by the Maya-Toltec civilization.

 Machu Picchu, Peru: Built in the mid-15th century by the Incas.

 Source: The Travel Channel and The New York Times