Man Made Travel Wonders | All in Travel

The Great Wall of China in China

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Great Wall of China is a wall that the Chinese Dynasties constructed to keep invading forces out, and there have been several walls over several time periods. The Great Wall is the longest human made structure and it is 6,500 kilometers in length, it is also the biggest man made structure in the world if you account for mass.

Many lengths of the wall are in disrepair, are being pilfered for stones, vandalized, and demolished for construction, losing more of its mystique as this occurs. Constructed mostly from bricks the wall has battlements that are throughout the top, and stretch on for great distances. There are also watchtowers at regular intervals along the wall that served as locations for gathering guards and doing what watchtowers do, while there were also barracks and signal towers as well at regular intervals. Today it is the most visited attraction in China for tourists, bringing in millions for local commerce.

Posted in 7 Wonders of the Middle Ages, Man Made Travel Wonders, New 7 Wonders, The 21 Finalists | | 0 Comments

The Angkor in Cambodia

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

In the 12th century a temple was built for King Suryavarman II in Cambodia, and it became the temple of the state and capital city, and the largest temple at the location has remained since the foundation of the entire location as decreed by the king as a religious center.

It began as a Hindu site and later was converted to being Buddhist. The entire island is surrounded by water with two small strips of land that connect to it, the entire structure and water is rectangle in shape and it has a total area of around 200+ acres. Beginning in the nineties Angkor Wat has seen a massive increase in tourism to the location and reconstruction efforts have been renewed in a much larger scale. It is estimate that nearly a million people visit the Angkor each year now, and the number appears to be on the rise. Almost 30% of the income generated by the temple goes back into restoration.

Posted in Man Made Travel Wonders, The 21 Finalists | | 0 Comments

The Machu Picchu in Peru

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Machu Picchu is an ancient Inca Empire relic often called “The lost city of the Incas” and it is over seven thousand feet up in altitude. Originally a city constructed around 1450 by the Incas it was abandoned just a century later, when the empire fell at the hands of the Spanish conquistadors - it was never found by the Spaniards and hence preserved, forgotten for four hundred years.

Machu Picchu is separated into three sectors with them being given names, such as the Sacred District, the Popular District, and the District of the Priests and Nobility - a royal or high ranking Inca zone that most commoners would not have been allowed into. All the architecture is classic Inca stonework and strong massive construction, with over a hundred flights of stone steps carved in granite and fountain systems throughout. It was not until 1911 that this hidden or lost city was rediscovered by the world, although the locals knew of it quite well. Since then it has become a popular visiting location for those wishing to be “adventurous” with over four hundred thousand visitors in 2003.

Posted in Man Made Travel Wonders, New 7 Wonders, The 21 Finalists | | 0 Comments

The Pyramids of Giza

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Pyramids of Giza are located near Cairo in Egypt and are one of the traditional Seven Wonders of the World, being the only one of the seven to have survived until today. Because of this, it has automatically been added as one of the default New Seven Wonders of the World after pressure from Egypt and others who felt it wrong to even risk having it dislodged from the “Wonders of the World” list, albeit not a scientific or official list.

The necropolis consists of six recognizable pyramids, the Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the Pyramid of Menkaure are the three largest. The Pyramids are thought to have been constructed most actively around 2500 BC, with construction lasting for many years between each massive pyramid, and for a while it was thought to have occurred through the use of slave labor - however that has come into controversy with new evidence. Currently they are the biggest attraction in Egypt to visit, as they also have the sphinx near by (in the same complex actually) and offer tours.

Posted in 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, Man Made Travel Wonders, The 21 Finalists | | 0 Comments

The Taj Mahal in India

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Taj Mahal was commissioned for being built as a mausoleum for the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan’s wife, Mumtaz Mahal. It was constructed between 1632 and 1648 and consists of gardens, several outlying buildings, and the tomb itself, with almost all the surfaces being decorated, with the exterior decorations being the best found in Mughal architecture.

The designs were applied using stone inlays, paint, stucco, and carvings, along with using calligraphy, there are also many motifs on the lower walls that are designed with realistic bas relief flowers and vines. The Taj Mahal is 55 meters tall, with the dome being 18 meters in diameter and 24 meters tall. The complex tomb and plinth took about 12 years to finish, with the rest of the complex and gardens taking twelve years. The structure was restored in the late 1800’s and early 20th century after having fallen into disrepair and defacement by British soldiers and others who were not so kind to the massive structure. Today it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in the entire country with it having millions of tourist each year.

Posted in Man Made Travel Wonders, New 7 Wonders, The 21 Finalists | | 0 Comments

Recent Articles

The Great Wall of China in China

The Angkor in Cambodia

The Machu Picchu in Peru

The Pyramids of Giza

The Taj Mahal in India

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