Trifter

The privately owned New7Wonders Foundation conducted a worldwide poll asking people to vote for the new or Modern Seven Wonders of the World. The only restriction was that each Wonder had to be man made. The poll ended in 2007 and the winners were announced on July 7, 2007. In addition to the seven winners the New7Wonders Foundation also announced the 13 other Modern Seven Wonders of the World Finalists or runner-ups in the polling.These are the remaining six not covered in my first two articles.

The Pyramids of Giza are also included here and I explain why in that section.

Statue of Liberty

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The Statue of Liberty is located on Liberty Island in New York Harbor and was a gift to the United States from France in 1886 to honor the ideals of freedom and independence and to represent the friendship established between the two countries during the American Revolution. Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi sculpted the statue which stands 151 feet high, and 305 feet high including the pedestal and foundation. The Statue of Liberty became a symbol of hope and freedom for many millions of people who immigrated to the United States during the 20th century to find a new life of peace and prosperity.

Kiyomizu Temple

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Located in Kyoto, Japan, Kiyomizu is an independent Buddhist temple that was built in 749 AD without one nail being used in the whole temple. Kiyomizu Temple is famous for bringing in visitors hoping for luck in love. The sub-temple Jishu-jinja has two love stones placed roughly 20 meters apart. If you can manage to walk between the stones with eyes closed you will supposedly find love. Kiyomizu Temple is one of Japan’s most popular tourist sites.

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Hagia Sophia

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The Hagia Sophia is located in Istanbul, Turkey and was erected during the reign of Emperor Justinian (532 – 537 A.D.), when the Byzantine Empire was at the height of its power and influence. Originally built as a church, when Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks and Sultan Mehmed II in 1453, the Hagia Sophia was converted into a mosque. It was the home of the Eastern Orthodox Church for nearly 1000 years and then remained a mosque for nearly 500 years before being converted to a museum in 1935 by the Republic of Turkey. The massive dome of the Hagia Sophia, which is the prominent architectural feature, has often been used as a model for the design of Islamic mosques. Today the Hagia Sophia is a museum for Christians and Muslims alike.

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The Kremlin and Red Square

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The Kremlin and Red Square have formed the heart of Moscow, Russia for many hundreds of years and is where the President’s office is located today. The Kremlin was built as a residence for Ivan I and was the official residence of the Czars until the 1917 Russian Revolution.

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Red Square is an impressive and exuberant plaza and rising from the square is St Basil’s Cathedral which was built in the 1550s to commemorate Ivan the Terrible’s capture of the Mongol stronghold of Kazan.

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Sydney Opera House

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Danish architect Jørn Utzon designed and largely built the Sydney Opera House located in Australia. Its unique design contains eight separate performing spaces including the Concert Hall which is home to the Sydney Symphony. Construction on the Opera House started in 1958 and the structure was completed in three phases. The building of the upper podium which was completed in 1963. The building of the outer shells which finished in 1967. And the construction of the interior which finished in 1973. In June of 2007 UNESCO declared the Opera House a World Heritage Site. Up to 300,000 people tour the Opera House every year and it is one of Australia’s most recognized sites.

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Timbuktu

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Timbuktu is located in the West African nation of Mali and in the 12th century was the crossroads of the four most important caravan paths supplying the Arab world, which then spanned from the Middle East all the way to Spain. The importance of the location allowed Timbuktu to become one of the wealthiest places in the world at that time. Some of the great wealth was used to establish the celebrated Islamic university called the Koranic Sankore where some 20,000 students studied law, medicine and other subjects. It was one of the first universities ever established. Today many people still believe that Timbuktu is just a myth. Often people will say things like, “where is that in Timbuktu?” and many dictionaries will define Timbuktu as “any distant or outlandish place”.

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The Pyramids of Giza

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The New7Wonders Foundation did not allow people to vote for the Pyramids of Giza as part of the New7Wonders campaign. Instead, the Pyramids of Giza have been given honorary status on the list of Modern Seven Wonders of the World due to the fact that the Pyramids are the oldest and only remaining monuments of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A fitting tribute to these Ancient Egyptian Wonders.

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To see the new Modern Seven Wonders of the World just Click Here. And to see the other 7 Finalists Click Here.