SEVEN WONDERS OF THE WORLD

The Temple of Artemis is depicted in a fanciful reconstruction based on an Italian Renaissance church in this hand-colored engraving by Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck.. Built in Eph

Located on the west bank of the Nile River on the outskirts of Cairo, the pyramids at Giza, Egypt, rank as some of the best-known monuments in the world The ancient Egyptians constructed the pyramids to serve as royal tombs

the pyramids at Giza, Egypt

The Temple of Artemis is depicted in a fanciful reconstruction

based on an Italian Renaissance church in this hand-colored engraving by Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck Built in Ephesus in Asia Minor in 356 BC It was destroyed by the Goths

in ad 262

Artemis

The Colossus of Rhodes, depicted in this hand-colored

engraving by Maarten van Heemskerck, was built about 280 BC Standing 30 m (100 ft) high, it was built to guard the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Pharos of Alexandria, an ancient lighthouse, is

depicted in this hand-colored engraving by Maarten van Heemskerck The lighthouse stood on an island in the harbor of Alexandria and was over 134 m (440 ft) tall

The Pharos of Alexandria

This hand-colored engraving by 16th century Dutch artist Maarten van

Heemskerck depicts the Hanging Gardens of Babylon Technically, the

gardens did not hang, but grew on the roofs and terraces of the royal palace in Babylon

the Hanging Gardens of Babylon

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, depicted in this hand-colored

engraving by Maarten van Heemskerck, was built about 353 BC The mausoleum was a huge marble tomb built for King Mausolus of Caria in Asia Minor

The Mausoleum of

Halicarnassus

The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in

about 435 BC The statue, depicted in this engraving by 16th-century Dutch artist Maarten van Heemskerck, stood in Olympia and was perhaps the most famous sculpture in ancient Greece

The Statue of Zeus

The statue of Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor) stands on Corcovado Mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro The statue is one of the city's most famous monuments

The statue of Christ the Redeemer

The ruins of Machu Picchu, an ancient Inca city, are about 80 k (50 mi) northwest of Cuzco, Peru The site stands on a mountain about 2,400 m (8,000 ft) high in the Andes Mountain Range

Machu Picchu

The Caracol (Observatory) at Chichén Itzá was built around 1050 in Yucatßn, Mexico, during the late Maya period Maya civilization flourished in the Yucatßn area from 900 to the arrival of the Spanish

in the 16th century

Chichen itza

The Taj Mahal, designed as a tomb for the wife of a 17th-century Mughal emperor, was constructed by about 20,000 workers from

1632 to 1648 in Āgra, a city in northern India The massive structure was constructed in the Indo-Islamic style, using white marble and inlaid gems The bodies of the emperor and his wife remain in a vault below the building

The Taj Mahal

The ancient city of Petra, in southern Jordan, was an important trading center from late 400 bc to early ad 200 The Nabataeans, an Arab people, carved the city into rock 2,000 years ago

Petra

The Colosseum in Rome (70-82) is best known for its multilevel system of vaults made of concrete It was used for staged battles between lions and Christians, among other spectacles, and is one

of the most famous pieces of architecture in the world

The Colosseum in Rome

The Great Wall stretches across northern China It consists of a series

of walls built by the Ming dynasty in the 15th and 16th centuries to protect China against invasions from the north Sections of the Great Wall, including this part near Beijing, have been restored, mainly for purposes of tourism.

The Great Wall