In this article, we look into the seven natural wonders of the world.
The Pyramids of Giza
The first among our seven wonders of the world is the Great Pyramids of Giza on the west banks of the Nile River North Of Cairo, is the only World Wonder that has survived to the present day. It was initially part of three grouped Pyramids-Khufu (Cheops), Khafra (Chepren) and Menkaura (Mycerimus) which were built in between 2700 B.C and 2500 B.C as the royal tombs, the largest and most impressive of them all is Khufu, Known as the great pyramid, which covers over 13 acres and its believed to contain more than 2 million stone blocks that weigh from 2 to 30 tons each. For Over Four Thousand Years, Khufu reigned as the tallest structure in the world.
As a matter of fact, it took the efforts of the modern man until the 19th century to construct a taller structure.
Astoundingly, the almost symmetrical Egyptian Pyramids were constructed without the use of modern building tools. With that it keeps us wondering how the Egyptians built the pyramids.
The Hanging Gardens of Babylon
In accordance with Ancient Greek Poets, The breathtaking gardens of Babylon were built near the Euphrates River in modern-day Iraq by the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II during 600 B.C. The gardens were placed out in steps like an amphitheater. The King initially built the towering gardens to pacify his lover ‘Amytis’ nostalgia for the likely beauty of her home (The Northwestern region of the modern day Iran).
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Statue Of Zeus at Olympia
This is another exciting wonder on our list of seven wonders of the world. The famous statue of the mythological greek god ZEUS was crafted by the Athenian sculptor Phidias and completed and put it in the temple of zeus at Olympia, the site of the ancient Olympics, during the mid-fifth century B.C.
The statue replicated the god of thunder seated bare-chested on a wooden throne. Holding up the throne’s armrest were two carved sphinxes, (mythical creatures with the head and the chest of a woman, the body of a lion, and the wings of a bird).
The statued structure of Zeus was impressively decorated with gold and ivory. Achieving the height of forty feet, the statue was so massive that its head almost touched the top of the temple.
In accordance to modern legends, the sculptor request that Zeus gave him a sign after the completion of the statue, soon after, the temple in which the statue was situated was struck by lightning.
The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
Initially there were actually more than one temples of the goddess artemis: A series of several altars and temples were destroyed and later restores on that same site in Ephesus, a Greek city on the west coast of modern day turkey. The Most fabulous of these structures were two marbled temples which were built around 550 B.C. and 350 B.C., correspondingly. “Asides from Olympus the Sun never looked anything so grand,” the writer “Antipater of Sidon” wrote of the temple of Artemis at Ephesus.
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Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus is located in what is now known as southeastern turkey, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus was initially a tomb which was built by Artemisia for her Husband, Mausolus, the king of Carnia in Asia Minor, after his demise in 353 B.C. Mausolus was also Artemisia’s brother, and, according to the legend, she so grieved that she mixed her ashes with water and drank them in addition to ordering the mausoleum’s construction. The gigantic mausoleum was constructed entirely out of white marbles and is said to have been about 135 feet high.
The Colossus of Rhodes.
This particular wonder was an enormously made bronze sculpture of the sun god Helios built by the Rhodians over 12 years in the third century B.C. The metropolitan was the target of one of the numerous Macedonian siege earlier in the fourth century B.C. and, according to legends, the Rhodians traded the tools and the equipment left behind by the Macedonians to pay for the Colossus which was designed by the sculptor Chares, the statue stood at a hundred feet, the tallest of the ancient world until it was toppled in an earthquake
The Lighthouse of Alexandria
The wondrous Lighthouse of Alexandria is another intriguing wonders on our list of seven wonders of the world. This lighthouse was sited on a small island known as Pharos close to the city of Alexandria, it was designed by the greek architect Sostratos and completed around the second century B.C. during the reign of PTOLEMY II, the gigantic lighthouse aided in guiding the Nile River ships in and out the city’s busy harbor.
Recently Archeologists discovered ancient coins on which the Lighthouse was portrayed, and from these coins it was deduced that the structure possessed three tiers: a square level at the bottom, an archetypal octagonal level in the middle and a cylindrical top. Above the structure stood a 16 foot statue, most likely that of Ptolemy II or Alexander the Great, after whom the city was named
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