New Seven Wonders.

[Subhash]

As we all know that voting was going for the selction of 7 wonders of the world. Finally on July 7th 2007, the list of New 7 wonders has been declared. Here are the New Seven wonders.

NEW SEVEN WONDERS

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

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This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.
In short - the greatest symbol of
- Love & Passion!

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

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The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.
In short - it is incredible proof of
- Perseverance & Persistence!

Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

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On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.
In short - it is a great symbol of
- Engineering & Protection!

Christ Redeemer (1931) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world’s best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.
In short - it stands for
- Welcoming & Openness!

Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

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In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("old mountain"). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.
In short - it is a symbol of
- Community & Dedication!

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

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Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.
In short - it symbolizes
- Worship & Knowledge!

The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy

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This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum's original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.
In short - it is now a symbol of
- Joy & Suffering!

The Finalists for the New7Wonders
These are the rest of New7Wonders Finalists, which were nominated from hundreds of sites around the world

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History of New7Wonders and the efforts to bring Taj in 7 wonders
The New Seven Wonders of the World was a worldwide attempt to select the top seven world heritage sites in a method that was scientific and democratic. In India, the Bhaskar group spearheaded the campaign to get the Taj Mahal among the new seven wonders.
Ramesh Chandra Agarwal, chairman of the Bhaskar group, said, "It is a matter of great pride to every Indian that the Taj Mahal has earned its well-deserved status as one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was my duty as an Indian to champion the cause of the Taj and lead this movement as the official partner of the New Seven Wonders Foundation in India."

The effort to name the new seven wonders was started seven years back by Dr Bernard Weber, a Swiss author and aviator. His intention was to build a “true public consensus of opinion on the last 2000 years of human achievement’’. “The renowned ancient wonders (The Pyramids, The Colossus of Rhodes, etc.) belong to antiquity and with the exception of the Pyramids none remains in existence. The beginning of the new millennium is a poignant historical moment for determining the New 7 Wonders of the World," he said.
Though everyone had heard of the “Seven Wonders of the World”, none had actually seen them because only one, the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, of the seven 'must-see' destinations is still standing. So with the Seven Wonders of the World no longer actually giving wonder to the world, it seemed the perfect time to start again and nominate an all new set of Seven Wonders of the World.
With strict rules like all nominations having to be man-made, be in an acceptable state of preservation and to have been completed by 2000, nominations were whittled down by public votes to 77 last year.
Then Dr Weber took the help of former UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor Zaragoza, who led a panel of architectural experts to shortlist 21 candidates for the vote, from the list of 77 heritage structures.
The New 7 Wonders Society, a Swiss group with the preservation of man-made heritage close to its heart, then began the hunt for the new Seven Wonders of the World, via the first global voting campaign.
What was shocking was that voting from India was abysmally low till mid-May 2007. It was then that the Bhaskar group’s integrated interactive solutions enterprise, I Media Corp Limited (IMCL), spearheaded this movement and resolved to get Taj to the New Seven Wonders List. The New Seven Wonders Foundation appointed IMCL as its partner in India and sole official voting facilitator in India for the New Seven Wonders. IMCL in turn kicked off a nationwide movement under the aegis of ‘India Unites for the Taj’. Said Bharat Kapadia, chairman of ‘India Unites for the Taj’, “We were determined to get the Taj Mahal to the Seven Wonders and we knew we could achieve it if we could make people aware of the task on hand.”
IMCL roped in A R Rahman to compose an anthem, which he composed, co-wrote and sang. It was a ‘yes’ at first contact for Rahman. “I was in London when IMCL contacted me, and I was very excited about composing the anthem. It was very short notice, but my crew and I grabbed the idea and made special time for working on the anthem,” he said. Rahman unveiled the soulful anthem – rendered in six languages -- to kick off the India Unites for the Taj movement on May 24, 2007.
Voting for the Taj never looked back after that. As the first evidence of that, the ranking declared by the New Seven Wonders Foundation on June 7 revealed that the Taj had climbed the rankings to be among the top 10 candidates out of the 21 in the running. The rest, as they say, is history.
The organisers of this vote, New 7 Wonders Foundation, also announced that they would soon organise a vote to select the best seven natural heritages in the world. The slogan for this vote will be, "Our heritage is our future."

Recompiled from: new7wonders.com and indiainfo.com