Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(8/8) Machu Picchu, Peru  

Nestled in the midst of a tropical mountain forest at 7,000 feet above sea level, Machu Picchu is considered as a magnificent creation of the Incas. 
As the last stronghold of the Incas, it was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.
It is Peru’s Lost City discovered by American Explorer Hiram Bingham in 1911.  Some scientists think that the Inca fortress was some sort of a harem, since more than 75% of the skeletal remains found are female. 
It was an early example of earthquake –resistant design and a precise stonework (a pin barely fit between the stones). The stone work of the site remains as one of the world's gerat examples of the use of natural raw materials.
Machu Picchu mountaintop seems to merge the earth with the heaven. Visitors to the place describe similar emotions as they climb their way through the Inca Trail ------ magical, enchanting, and heavenly! 

An ender to my exploits of world wonders - my own version.  A place I hope to visit soon….. to feel the magic and enchantment! And hopefully to solve some of its mysteries.

Note: Coming soon----- My adventure to the most famous cities around the world! 

Photo credits: Not my own

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(7/8)Easter Island, Chile. 

Famous for its immense statues called moai, Easter Island is considered as the world’s remotest inhabited place. Easter Island known to locals as Rapa Nui, is a tiny island in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with its moai as one of the most incredible relics ever discovered.
For centuries, scientists as well as researchers are puzzled what was the purpose of these giant stone busts built centuries ago. The locals believed that these statues carved out of volcanic rocks, represent the spirit of their ancestors guarding a priceless patrimony.  
As per UNESCO, there are 887 gigantic, elongated stone figures that stares at the distant horizon over the coastal area of the island. The largest moai statue found on Easter Island dubbed as El Gigante, but was never completed, weighs more than two full 737 airplanes. And because of their enormous weights, it has been the subject of scholarly debates on how the ancient people were able to move those statues without even the aid of equipment such as cranes, etc.

Note: From the remotest place in the world, where will my exploit of "My Version of World Wonders" wind-up?

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(6/8)Petra, Jordan.

A desert city with 500-plus buildings and tombs that were carved directly from the red sandstone. At dawn and dusk, the canyon walls turn into gorgeous pink.
Petra is a greek term that means 'stone' or 'rock'.  The Nabataeans, a nomadic Arab tribe carved the structures out of sandstone desert cliffs. A symbol of Jordan, Petra is an Arabian historical and archaeological city famous for its architecture and an ingenious water system.
Petra was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. It was named as one of the new seven wonders of the world in 2007. The Smithsonian Magazine listed Petra as one of  the "28 Places to See Before You Die". 
According to researchers, only 15% of the city was uncovered. There remains a large area (85%) that remains underground and undiscovered.

Note: Leaving the amazing city of petra ..... where will "My Wandering Feet" leads me next?

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(5/8)Parthenon, Greece. 

Architecturally, the Parthenon is an optical illusion: it’s exterior columns look straight from top to bottom, but are actually thicker in the middle and subtly tapered – which paradoxically makes them appear straighter. It housed a statue of goddess Athena so colossal that it could be seen from miles away.

The Parthenon is a temple that stood atop the Acropolis of Athens. It is the most famous surviving building of Ancient Greece and an example of doric architecture.

Parthenon was built as a dedication to the city's patron goddess, Athena. Its name comes from the Greek word 'parthenos', which means 'virgin'. It was officially called as the Temple of Athena the Virgin. It was used mainly as a Greek temple but throughout its history, it has also been a church, a mosque, a fortress, and a treasury.
Parthenon made to my list not only as an important icon of Greek history, but most importantly because of a very personal reason. I am suffering from a sickness that I am revealing now..... a sickness called “extreme addiction with the Olympians”. And according to experts, the only cure is to visit the Parthenon regularly. Furthermore, I often fantasized myself as Aphrodite, the "Goddess of Love" getting war lessons from the powerful virginal Athena, the "Goddess of War". 

Note: As the "Goddess of Love", where shall I go next? 

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(4/8) The Great Wall of China.    

It is a series of   earthen, wooden and stone fortifications to protect the northern borders of the Chinese Empire. Its main purpose was to protect China from outside aggression, and also to preserve its culture from the customs of foreign barbarians. 

The Wall measuring 3,889 miles of wall and 223 miles of natural defensive barriers such as hills is the longest manmade structure ever built.  It is not only considered as the longest, but also the largest in surface area and mass. The wall’s hundreds of watchtowers could transmit warning smoke signals along 300 miles of the wall within few hours.
While it's a popular belief that the Great Wall of China is the only man-made structure that can be seen from the moon, it had been already debunked several times. For some reasons, this myth had never died down 

Note: From Wall to ..... where in the world will be my next destination?

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(3/8) Taj Mahal, India. 

Majestic and magnificent are just few words that describe this monument which is an epochal monument to one man’s undying love.  The Taj was built by Emperor Shah Jahan (Prince Khurram) in memory of his beloved Mumtaz Mahal (previously named as Arjumand Banu Begum).
It is decorated with 25 types of precious stones sourced from different parts of the world: Jasper from Punjab, Jade and crystal from China, Turquoise from Tibet, Lapis Lazuli from Afghanistan, Sapphire from Sri Lanka, and Carnelian from Arabia.
Some Interesting Facts:

• Constructed from 1631 t0 1653, 22 years to complete with 20,000 workers, and more than 1,000 elephants were used to transport construction materials.
• An Islamic Tomb with a Mughal architecture style (combination of persian, islamic, and indian style).
• One of the Seven Wonders of the World, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Passages from Quran have been used as decorative elements throughout the structure. 99 calligraphic inscriptions of the names of Allah can be found on the sides of the actual tomb of Mumtaz Mahal.
• The colors of Taj Mahal changes every time depending on what time of the day. Most people believe that the changing pattern of colors depict the different moods of a woman.
• The tombs that can be seen in the main chamber are false. The actual burial crypt that houses the tombs of Mumtaz Mahal and Shah Jahan are located below the false tombs.

Note: An epitome of love ..... where in the world is "My Wandering Feet" in my next post?

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(2/8) Angkor, Cambodia

Angkor ranked as the most extensive pre-industrial urban complex the world had ever seen, sprawling across more than 300 square miles and with as many as 750,000 inhabitants. Greater Angkor included more than a thousand temples and shrines.
Angkor’s interior temple complex, known as the Angkor Wat, is considered as the world’s largest religious structure, with temples still being discovered. It is a massive three-tiered structure crowned by 5 towers that resemble a lotus. It is the highlight of one's visit to Angkor - simply breathtaking and awesome: visually, architecturally, artistically, historically .....
Built between  A.D. 1113 and 1150, Angkor Wat is surrounded by a 200 meters moat with  a deep of 4 meters, and an exterior perimeter wall measuring more than 5 kms. It was originally built as a Hindu temple dedicated to the God Vishnu, but later converted into a Buddhist temple.

Angkor Wat means "temple city".

Note: This is the second place in 'My Version of World Wonders'! Can you guess my next destination/s? 

Places I Would Like To See Before I Die - My Version of World Wonders

For a better understanding of this blog, please see the INTRODUCTION!

My Version of World Wonders

The world is full of wonders..... My search in the internet revealed that there are several lists of such wonders: Wonders of the Ancient World, New Wonders of the World, Natural Wonders, Wonders of Nature, etc.  I was so confused that I decided to have my own list of world wonders. There are eight (8) places in my list. I'll be posting them individually in no particular order.

(1/8)The Great Pyramids, Giza, Egypt.  

Possibly the most famous man-made building in the world, the Great Pyramid built by the Pharaoh Cheops remains the symbol of distant civilizations.  It was completed on c.2560. There are more than 107 pyramids in Egypt and each tomb symbolizes man’s quest for immortality. 

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the tallest pyramid in the world. It is composed of some 2.3 million stone blocks, each of which weighs at least 2.5 tons.  Ancient Egyptians aligned the four sides of the Great Pyramid of Khufu almost perfectly with the four cardinal points, a remarkable engineering feat given that they had no knowledge of the magnetic compass.

Picture not mine.

This is just one in 'My Version of World Wonders'! Can you guess what are the others?