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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 Statue of Liberty in United States of America

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Statue of Liberty was given to the United States of America by France in 1886 as a gift, and it stands at the mouth of the Hudson River in New York Harbor, and everyone who comes to the U.S. through shipping sees it, it was and is one of the first icons to greet all the immigrants who came to America since it was constructed.

The structure is 151 feet tall and stands on top of a rectangle shaped pedestal, and it is the most recognizable icons for the U.S.A. after the U.S. flag. Historically to the citizens of the United States it represents freedom and liberty from oppression, and has undergone extensive restorations throughout its lifetime, maintained and cared for by the government. Construction of the statue itself was to be completed by 1876 for the Centennial of the U.S. however it was delayed until 1884, and then construction of the overall site was completed in 1886, with the statue being dedicated by Grover Cleveland.

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The Easter Island Statues in Chile

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Easter Island Statues off the coast of Chile are called the Moai, and they are carved from compressed volcanic ash. They are gigantic monoliths that weigh well over 70 tons in most cases, and are thought to have been constructed by Polynesian colonizers at around the eleventh or twelfth century, and were used as status symbols.

One incomplete Moai was 21 meters tall, and if erected would have been the tallest one to have been finished. There are 887 known Moai, however new techniques may uncover more and raise that number. Only 394 remain visible today, with fifty having been re-erected to their original sites. Plans for further erections of those that have fallen are in the works to fully restore the islands Moai if possible. Today tourism is possible and many people who can afford it visit the sites of the Moai.

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The Petra in Jordan

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Petra is a place in Jordan which lies in a basin in the large valley that runs from the Dead Sea to Aqaba. It is carved into solid rock and was lost until 1812, although some people did know of it previously. There is no actual definitive date of when the Petra began.

In 106 it was annexed into the Roman Empire and the native rule came to and end, however the city continued to do very well, and within the next century the city had reached its peak, being completely carved into the mountainside. However, as suddenly as this apex was reached everything ceased, there were no more new constructions, coins were no longer in production, and it became a religious area for feasts and traditions. In 2006 a visitors center was established and planned tours have begun, with 59 thousand people visiting in December alone, and expected to increase exponentially.

Posted in 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 Eiffel Tower in France

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

The Eiffel Tower is an iron building that was constructed on the Champ de Mars next to the river Seine in Paris France in 1887, and became the world’s tallest structure until 1930.

What is amazing about the structure is that during construction only a single person died, while most large structures suffered from multiple casualties, due to Eiffel’s safety precautions. It soars above all the buildings in Paris as the tallest one, and reaches a height of 210 meters, weighing in at over seven thousand tons. It was originally scheduled for demolition in 1909, but it served as a radio tower and was thus saved, and then after that used to secure a victory in battle during the First World War. Today it has two restaurants and a skating rink on the first level in winter time, and is the worlds most visited landmark, passing 200 million visits in 2003.

It’s really a must if you’re visiting France.

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The Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Russia

July 8th, 2007 by Shenron

St. Basil’s Cathedral was built between 1555 and 1561 in Moscow Russia, in 1588 a chapel was added on the eastern side and it is located at the southeast end of Red Square, across from the Kremlin. It consists of nine chapels built on one foundation and having one central tower.

Red Square separates the Kremlin from the St. Basil’s Cathedral, and was originally covered in buildings – however in 1493 Ivan II ordered it cleared, and it was. The Kremlin is a fortified structure in the middle of Moscow, and it is made up of four palaces, four cathedrals, and enclosed behind the Kremlin wall with the Kremlin towers. The Wall was built in the late 1400’s with the cathedral completed in 1479, and the rest added later. The oldest non-religious building that is still standing is the Palace of Facets, completed in 1491. Today the Kremlin serves as the residence of the President of Russia.

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Recent Articles

The Great Wall of China in China

The Statue of Liberty in United States of America

The Easter Island Statues in Chile

The Petra in Jordan

The Angkor in Cambodia

The Eiffel Tower in France

The Kremlin and St. Basil’s Cathedral in Russia

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