Wonders of the World

If you’re planning to visit any of these Wonders of the World – take a Mobal World Phone with you. Take pictures and stay in touch with your friends and family whilst on vacation.

Created thousands of years ago, the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World highlighted the most remarkable constructions around the world. As early as 400 BC, historians like Herodotus have searched far and wide for the most spectacular sites known to man. Throughout the ancient period, Greek historians followed suit and in 200 BC, they came up with a list of wonders.

The Great Pyramid of Giza was the oldest of the Giza Necropolis in Egypt built for King Khufu in 2853 BC. The Great Pyramid of Giza, made of more than two million huge blocks of limestone and granite, was the highest man-made structure for almost 4 millennia. Many research organizations have been studying this pyramid, providing invaluable information in regards to its history, construction, and mysteries. The Great Pyramid of Giza has four triangular-shaped sides and covers an area of approximately 566,280 feet.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon was said to have been built by King Nebuchadnezzar II in 600 BC to make his beautiful wife Amyitis happy. This breath-taking structure was believed to be full of flowers, plants, and trees. Ancient Greek historians said that it was built right by the Euphrates River but scholars have not been able to pinpoint the exact location of the Hanging Gardens. Herodotus who lived in 450 BC talked about this place in his writings and said that the gardens reached 320 feet in height, although recent studies say it was less than a hundred feet. Since Babylon was a sun-baked city and water was scarce, ancient Babylonians created a chain pump to provide irrigation for the exotic plants in the Hanging Gardens.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was made in 432 BC by Athenian sculptor Phidias. It was 39 feet high and showed Zeus seated inside his temple in the Parthenon. The statue was made of precious stones, gold, ivory, and ebony. His left hand held a scepter with an eagle on top while his right hand held Nike, the goddess of victory. Historians believe that the statue was carried to Istanbul (formerly Constantinople) in late 5^th century where it was eventually destroyed.

The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus was erected at the orders of King Croesus of Libya in 440 BC. It was larger than a football field, measuring 377 feet long and 180 feet wide. Made entirely out of marble, the Temple of Artemis was surrounded by two rows of sixty-foot high columns all around it. Building the temple took about 120-200 years but it was destroyed on the day Alexander the Great was born, less than a hundred years after it was completed.

The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, or the Tomb of Mausolus, was built around 360 BC for the satrap of Halicarnassus named Mausolus. The construction was commissioned by his wife Artemisia in memory of her husband. It was a magnificent tomb which truly represented the couple’s vast wealth. The tomb was surrounded by a courtyard that had a platform in the middle. Inside the platform lay the marble tomb which was about 140 feet high. At the top of the tomb were the statues of Mausolus and Artemisia, riding on a chariot pulled by four large horses.

The Colossus of Rhodes, displayed in 280 BC, symbolized the Greek god Helios. The statue was about 100 feet high, with bronze exteriors and white marble base. It was completed in 12 years but unfortunately, it was destroyed by a powerful earthquake 56 years later. The Colossus of Rhodes had been known to have inspired the construction of the Statue of Liberty.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, otherwise known as the Pharos, was a 400-foot tall beacon built during the rule of King Ptolemy II in 270 BC. It survived until the 14^th century when a strong earthquake sent it crashing down. The lighthouse was said to have mirrors on top, allowing sailors to see the structure from as far as 35 miles away.

Truly, these Seven Wonders of the Ancient World have for hundreds, if not thousands of years, become living testaments that man is indeed capable of creating great things even without the advancements of technology.

Have you been to any of these Wonders of the World? Please share your experiences with us in the comments box below…