JigsawThe Seven Wonders of the World, Old and New
From the Great Pyramid to Machu Picchu: the ancient list of seven wonders, the new list chosen in 2007, and the stories behind each one.
For more than two thousand years, people have made lists of the greatest wonders built by human hands. The most famous of these lists come in sevens: the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, compiled by Greek writers, and the New Seven Wonders of the World, chosen in a worldwide vote in 2007. You can explore all of the new wonders, and the last survivor of the ancient ones, in our puzzles.
The ancient wonders
The original list was written by travellers and writers of the ancient Greek world, who described the most impressive sights around the eastern Mediterranean. The best-known version includes seven monuments:
- the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt;
- the Hanging Gardens of Babylon;
- the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus;
- the Statue of Zeus at Olympia;
- the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus;
- the Colossus of Rhodes;
- the Lighthouse of Alexandria.
Earthquakes, fires and time destroyed all of them except one. The Great Pyramid, built about 4,500 years ago as a tomb for the pharaoh Khufu, is the oldest wonder on the list and the only one still standing. For almost 4,000 years it was the tallest building on Earth.
The new wonders
In 2007, a campaign organised by the New7Wonders Foundation invited people around the world to vote for a new list. Millions of votes were cast online and by telephone, and the results were announced in Lisbon on 7 July 2007. The Great Pyramid was given an honorary place, and these seven were chosen.
The Great Wall of China
Built and rebuilt over many centuries by different Chinese dynasties, the Great Wall winds across mountains, deserts and grasslands in northern China. The best-preserved sections, with their watchtowers and battlements, date mostly from the Ming dynasty.
Petra, Jordan
More than 2,000 years ago, the Nabataeans carved tombs and temples into the rose-coloured cliffs of southern Jordan. The most famous façade, the Treasury, appears suddenly at the end of a narrow canyon called the Siq.
Christ the Redeemer, Brazil
Completed in 1931, the statue of Christ with open arms stands about 30 metres tall on top of Corcovado mountain, looking out over Rio de Janeiro. It is made of reinforced concrete covered in thousands of small triangular tiles of soapstone.
Machu Picchu, Peru
Built by the Incas in the fifteenth century on a ridge high above the Urubamba River, Machu Picchu was hidden from the outside world for centuries. Its stone walls fit together so precisely that a knife blade cannot slip between some of the blocks.
Chichen Itza, Mexico
This great Maya city in the Yucatán is crowned by the pyramid of El Castillo. At the spring and autumn equinoxes, the late afternoon sun creates a pattern of light and shadow on its stairs that looks like a serpent crawling down the pyramid.
The Colosseum, Italy
Opened in AD 80, the Colosseum in Rome could hold around 50,000 spectators, who came to watch gladiator fights and public shows. Even after centuries of earthquakes and stone robbing, it remains the largest amphitheatre ever built.
The Taj Mahal, India
The emperor Shah Jahan built this white marble tomb in Agra in the seventeenth century for his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. Its dome, gardens and reflecting pools make it one of the most photographed buildings in the world, and its marble seems to change colour from pink at dawn to gold at sunset.
Travel the wonders by puzzle
Visiting all seven new wonders would mean travelling across four continents. With puzzles, you can do it in an afternoon. On Jigsaw Earth you can also follow the Wonders of the World journey, which takes you from one wonder to the next and stamps each country in your travel passport as you finish it.
