The World has Voted for the New
7 Wonders !
Saturday, July 07, 2007. Source
New7Wonders Foundation
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Great Wall, China
(220 B.C and 1368-1644 A.D.) Perseverance and Persistence
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Petra, Jordan (9 B.C.
- 40 A.D.) Engineering and Protection
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Christ Redeemer, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil (1931) Welcoming and Openness
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Machu Picchu, Cuzco, Peru
(1460-1470) Community and Dedication
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Chichen Itza, Yucatan,
Mexico (before 800 A.D.) Worship and Knowledge
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Colosseum, Rome, Italy
(70 - 82 A.D.) Joy and Suffering
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Taj Mahal, Agra, India
(1630 A.D.) Love and Passion
See: The announcement
The pyramids of Giza, the only surviving
structures from the original seven wonders of the ancient world, were
assured of retaining their status.
A Peruvian in national costume held up Machu
Picchu's award to the sky and bowed to the crowd with his hands clasped,
eliciting one of the biggest cheers from the audience of 50,000 people at a
soccer stadium in Portugal's capital, Lisbon.
Colosseum, Rome,
Italy and the election of
the New Seven
Wonders of the World
Only one of the ancient wonders of the
world still survives -- now history lovers are being invited to choose a new
list of seven.
Among 20 locations short listed
for the worldwide vote is the Colosseum, Rome,
Italy. The ancient Colosseum in Rome was inaugurated in AD
80. Thousands of gladiators duelled to the death here, and
Christians were fed to the lions. The arena has influenced
the design of modern stadiums.
An original list of nearly 200 sites nominated by the public
was narrowed to 20 by the organizers and experts, including
the former director general of Unesco Professor Federico
Mayor.
The vote is organized by a Swiss foundation
called New7Wonders which specializes in the preservation,
restoration and promotion of monuments, and the results will
be announced on July 7, 2007 - 07.07.07, in Lisbon,
Portugal, considered a neutral venue as the country has no
contending landmark of its own.
More than 40 million votes have already been lodged, including
many from India, for the Taj Mahal; China, for the Great
Wall and from Peru for Machu Picchu, the fortress city of
the Incas.
The original Seven Wonders of the ancient world were
selected by Greek philosopher Philon of Byzantium more than
2,000 years ago. Only the Great Pyramid of Giza, which is is
an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate, is still standing.
The other original seven wonders of the ancient world were
the Hanging Gardens of Babylon; the Statue of Zeus at
Olympia; the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus; the Mausoleum at
Halicarnassus; the Colossus of Rhodes and the Lighthouse of
Alexandria.
Tia Viering, spokeswoman for New7Wonders, said: "Apart from
the Pyramids, the seven ancient wonders of the world no
longer exist."
The only criteria for the new list is that the landmarks
were built or discovered before 2000.
The 20 finalists for the New
Seven Wonders of the World, alphabetically:
-
Acropolis, Athens, Greece
-
Alhambra, Granada, Spain
-
Angkor, Cambodia
-
Chichen Itza, Yucatan,
Mexico
-
Christ Redeemer, Rio de
Janeiro, Brazil
-
Colosseum, Rome, Italy
-
Easter Island Statues, Chile
-
Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
-
Great Wall, China
-
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul,
Turkey
-
Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan
-
Kremlin/St.Basil's, Moscow,
Russia
-
Machu Picchu, Peru
-
Neuschwanstein Castle,
Fussen, Germany
-
Petra, Jordan
-
Statue of Liberty, New York,
USA
-
Stonehenge, Amesbury, United
Kingdom
-
Sydney Opera House,
Australia
-
Taj Mahal, Agra, India
-
Timbuktu, Mali
Pyramids of Giza out of contest
for New Wonders
Honorary New7Wonders Candidate
April 20, 2007. Source: New7Wonders
Foundation
After careful consideration, the
New7Wonders Foundation designates the Pyramids of Giza—the only remaining of
the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World—as an Honorary New7Wonders Candidate.
The 7 New Wonders of the World will now be chosen by the people across the
globe from the 20 active New7Wonders candidates.
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