The Seven Wonder's of the World were once a frequent topic of discussion but appear to have lost their luster a bit over the years. Did they all exist? Most of us will never know, but the great majesty that was "The Seven Wonder's of the World" deserves to be brought to everyone's attention again.

1. The Great Pyramid of Giza: At the ancient city of Giza stands what is today the only remaining wonder of the world. The Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) is located in the captial of Egypt, Cairo, in the tourist region of the Giza Plateau. It was built by the Egyptian Pharoah Khufu around the year 2560 BC to serve as his burial tomb. Although the pyramid's are a great architechtural feat, they were not accomplished in a short amount of time. It is said that this pyramid took over 20 years to complete! It's initial height was around 481 feet high, however, over the course of time it has lost about 30 feet off of its top. It was the tallest structure on Earth for more than 43 centuries, only to be topped in the nineteenth century.

2. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon: In the minds of everyone is a picture of the perfect garden utopia. It would probably have the most beautiful gardens, the most exotic animals, terraces and beautiful monuments, and anything you can imagine. So what were the hanging gardens of legend like? Probably just like that, but no one will ever know. This is the only wonder of the world to have never been proven. It is said to have been located on the east bank of the Euphrates River, about 50 km. south of what is today Baghdad, Iraq. It is said that these great gardens were built by the king Nebuchadnezzar to please one of his current wives or concubines.

3. The Status of Zeus at Olympia: This is the statue of the great Greek God Zeus. It resided in the ancient town of Olympia, on the west coast of modern Greece. This temple that houses the status was designed and built by the architect Libon around 450 BC. The Athenian sculptor Pheidias was later given the task of creating a magnificent status to reside in the temple. In the early first century AD, the statue was attempted to be transported by the emperor Caligula. This failed and after the Olympic games were banned in AD 391, the temple of Zeus was ordered closed. The temple itself through years of natural disastors, was fully damaged by fire in the fifth century AD. The main statue lived on until it was also taken by fire in AD 462 in its new palace at Constantinople.

4. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus: This was a great temple built and dedicated to the Greek Goddess Artemis. It was located in the ancient city of Ephesus near the modern town of Selcuk in Turkey. The temple was built in 550 BC by the Lydian King Croesus and designed by the Greek architect Chersiphron. Although designed by one man, there were numerous statues inside dedecated by such artists as Pheidias, Kresilas, Phradmon, and Polycleitus. The temple's popularity grew to such lengths that everyone from merchants and peasants to kings and nobles visited the temple. The temple survived until July 21, 356 BC when a man named Herostratus burned it to the ground. The temple was later rebuilt and destroyed a second time. With the advent of Christianity it was not rebuilt a third time.

5. The Mausoleum at Halicarnassus: This beautiful temple was finished around 350 BC and was located in the city of Halicarnassus (Bodrum) on the Aegean Sea in southwest Turkey. The tomb was created for king Mausollos of Caria, and designed and "decorated" by his sister/wife Artemisia. The temple lasted for a very long 16 centuries until an earthquake caused damage to the roof. In the early 15th century , the Knights of St. John of Malta invaded the region and used every block from the Mausoleum to build their fortress. The castle that was built of the beautiful temple still stands fully constructed from the old stones.

6. The Colossus of Rhodes: This great statue took no less than 12 years to complete and was destroyed in another 50. This statue is rumored to have straddled the entrance to Mandraki Harbor but most disagree with that due to its size. It is thought that it stood either on the eastern promontory or farther inland. The project was commissioned by the sculptor Chares of Lindos. To build his massive statue workers cast the outer skin parts in bronze. The base was made of white marble, with the statue being built up starting at the feet and ankles. The creation stood until a strong earthquake hit Rhodes in about 226 BC. There were offers to rebuild the broken statue but they were refused...the Oracle advised against it.

7. The Lighthouse of Alexandria: This functional wonder of the world lies on an the ancient island of Pharos, now near the city of Alexandria, Egypt. The lighthouse was designed by Ptolemy Soter in 290 BC, but was not completed until after his death. Upon completion the monument was dedicated to the "Savior Gods: Ptolemy Soter" and his wife Berenice. This lighthouse stood fully for centuries and was used to mark the harbor. In 956 AD and earthquake hit Alexandria and did damange to the lighthouse. Later in 1303 and 1326 to other earthquakes shook the lighthouse near to the ground. The life of the lighthouse was totally ended in 1480 when and Egyptian Sultan built a fort in the same sport where the lighthouse used to stand. It has been said recently in the news that some stones and structures can be found in the waters deep underneath where it used to stand.

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Website Last Updated: January 03, 2008
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