7 wonders of the ancient world post. Wonders of the world: how many there were and how many survived

Many things that are familiar to you and me are in one way or another connected with the number 7.

These are seven days of the week, seven notes, seven deadly sins, seven sacred church sacraments, "flower - seven-flower", Snow White and the seven dwarfs, and many others. The number 7 is considered symbolic and lucky for many peoples. In ancient civilizations (Babylonian, ancient Greek), it signified the completeness, perfection of the world, the sum of its main components (4 parts of the world and the basis of life in the person of parents and a child). The city of Rome was built on 7 hills. To describe all such examples, you need to spend a lot of time, so let's move on to describing the history of occurrence 7 Wonders of the World.

The first mentions of the wonders of the world appeared in Ancient Greece... So the historian and philosopher Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century. BC, listed 3 wonders of the world:

1) Temple of the goddess Hera on the island of Samos;

2) Aqueduct delivering water through a system of tunnels (Samos island);

3) A dam protecting the port from sea storms (Samos island).

Since then, people increasingly began to describe the most grandiose and significant architectural buildings, so the list of Herodotus was completely updated and expanded two centuries later.

The writer from Sidon (Phenicia) Antipater, in the third century BC, became the author of a new list 7 Wonders of the World the ancient world, which has survived practically unchanged to our time. Traveling to different countries, he left reviews about each of them, paying special attention to the most important architectural monuments. He could only tell us about those architectural masterpieces that were not destroyed by natural disasters or military actions, otherwise the list of wonders of the world could become much more voluminous. Also in the classic interpretation of the list 7 Wonders of the World, did not include structures built by man later than the 3rd century BC.

So, such grandiose man-made architectural projects as: Tower of babel, walls of the city of Babylon, Alexandria library, Cyrus Palace in Persepolis, Acropolis of Athens with a statue of the goddess Athena, Temple of King Solomon, Roman Colosseum, Capitol and many others.

Let's move on to the description miracles Sveta in the classic chronological version.

1) The Pyramid of Cheops built by the Egyptians around 2550 BC. AD. Located in the Giza Valley (Egypt), and intended as a tomb for the pharaoh Cheops. This is one of seven wonders of the world, which has survived almost in its original form to our time and is very popular with tourists from all over the world.

2) Hanging Gardens of Babylon, were built around 600 BC. AD in the city of Babylon, (modern Iraq). The gardens were presented as a gift to the wife of King Nebuchadnezzar II. This architectural monument has not survived to this day, as it was destroyed by an earthquake 200 years after its construction.

3) Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, built in 550 BC. AD Greeks, Lydians and Persians near the city of Ephesus (Turkey). This temple was erected in honor of the ancient Greek goddess Artemis. The Temple of Artemis was plundered and destroyed 2 times (first by Herostratus in 370 BC, and then by the tribes of the Goths in the 3rd century AD). As a result, the fire completely burned down the temple.

4) Statue of Zeus, created by the ancient Greek sculptor Phidias in 435 BC. was originally installed in Olympia (Greece), where the Olympic Games were held every 4 years, in the Temple of Zeus. The god Zeus is depicted in the form of a statue seated on a throne, with a scepter, on which the eagle, the messenger of Zeus, is located. The temple statue, impressive in its size, execution and cost, was destroyed during a fire that occurred at the Hippodrome of the city of Constantinople in the 5th century AD.

5) mausoleum in Halicarnassus erected jointly by Carian, Persian and Greek architects in 351 BC. under the direction of the architect Pytheus. The mausoleum was the tomb of the ruler of Caria - King Mavsol and his wife, Artemisia and was located near the city of Halicarnassus (Turkey). Only architectural fragments and the foundation of the mausoleum, destroyed in 1494 by a strong earthquake, have survived to this day. Miraculously survived 2 statues - King Masola and Queen Artemisia. They are currently housed in the British Museum in London.

6) The Colossus of Rhodes a huge 18-meter statue in a bronze case, dedicated to the sun god Helios, in honor of the victory of the inhabitants of the island of Rhodes (Greece) over the troops of Dimetrius Poliokret in 304 BC. The work was completed in 280 BC. The statue stood for a little over 66 years, after which several elements of the statue fell off during the earthquake. In the 7th century. AD the bronze body of the statue was completely dismantled.

7) Alexandrian lighthouse, erected in the III century. BC. at the direction of Alexander the Great. The lighthouse was located on the island of Pharos, near the newly built city of Alexandria (Egypt). It was a grandiose architectural structure over 130 meters high. It was crowned with a statue of the god Zeus. The lighthouse made it possible to navigate not only during the day, but also at night. From the name of the island on which it was located (Pharos) in the 19th century. were named lighting devices for cars - headlights. Having stood for more than a millennium, the lighthouse nevertheless fell under the pressure of the elements. In 783 A.D. The Alexandria lighthouse was destroyed by a strong earthquake. And in its place in the 15th century. the Turks built a fortress, which has survived to this day.

Over the centuries, people have compiled a wide variety of lists of wonders of the world in order to highlight from the total number of the most outstanding creations of the architectural genius of man or the most amazing manifestations of natural perfection. Most often, such lists were limited to seven laureates, following the ancient Greek seven wonders of the world, but there are also more expanded or narrow lists.

Seven Wonders of the World (or Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) is a list of the most famous sights of the Oycumene culture. Compiling a list of the most famous poets, philosophers, military leaders, great kings, as well as monuments of architecture and art is the traditional "small" genre of Greek Hellenistic poetry and a kind of exercise in rhetoric. The choice of the number itself was sanctified by the most ancient ideas about its completeness, completeness and perfection, the number 7 was considered the sacred number of the god Apollo (Seven against Thebes, Seven wise men, etc.). Like collections of sayings of famous sages, collections of anecdotes and stories about curiosities, essays on the Seven Wonders of the World were popular in ancient times and included descriptions of the most grandiose, most magnificent, or in a technical sense, the most striking buildings and monuments of art. That is why they were called miracles, while many genuine masterpieces of ancient architecture and art are missing from the list - the Acropolis in Athens with the creation of Phidias - the statue of the Parthenon Athena, the famous statue of Aphrodite of Cnidus by Praxiteles, etc.

Mentions of the Seven Wonders appear in the writings of Greek authors dating back to the Hellenistic era. It was necessary to know them already at school, scientists and poets wrote about them. In the text of one Egyptian papyrus, which was a kind of study guide, the names of famous legislators, painters, sculptors, architects, inventors, obligatory for memorization, are mentioned, then the largest islands, mountains and rivers and, finally, the seven wonders of the world. The "selection" of miracles took place gradually, and some miracles replaced others.

Herodotus

The walls of Babylon were included in the list of the seven wonders of the world, but later they were replaced by the Lighthouse of Alexandria

Samos island today

Aqueduct

"I have seen your walls, Babylon, on which there is roomy
And chariots; I saw Zeus in Olympia,
The Miracle of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Helios
And the pyramids are the deeds of many and hard works;
I know Mausol's huge tomb. But I just saw
I am Artemis' palace, which lifted the roof to the clouds,
Everything else faded before him; outside Olympus
The sun sees no beauty equal to it anywhere. "

The description of Antipater follows the work of Philo of Alexandria (orator of the 4th century AD or the famous mechanic of the 3rd century BC) "On the Seven Miracles." Probably, after the construction of the Alexandria lighthouse, this miracle of engineering replaces the walls of Babylon in the list (as Pliny the Elder mentions it as a wonder of the world in his Natural History). In a number of works, instead of hanging gardens, the walls of Babylon reappeared, and the lighthouse on about. Pharos was replaced by the Library of Alexandria; The list was also supplemented by the Pergamon altar of Zeus, the palace of Cyrus in Persepolis, the "singing" statues of Memnon near the Egyptian Thebes and Thebes themselves, the temple of Zeus in Cyzicus, the statue of Asclepius in Epidaurus, Athena Parthenos by Phidias on the Athenian Acropolis, in the Roman period - the Colosseum and the Capitol. Subsequently, the list in various combinations was also supplemented by the Temple of Solomon, Noah's Ark, the Tower of Babel, the Temple of Sophia in Constantinople, etc.

Classic list

Around the 3rd century BC. a classic list of seven wonders of the world was formed:

Pyramid of Cheops (Giza, 2550 BC),
Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon, 600 BC),
Statue of Zeus at Olympia (Olympia, 435 BC),
Temple of Artemis at Ephesus (Ephesus, 550 BC),
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus (Halicarnassus, 351 BC),
Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes, between 292 and 280 BC),
Lighthouse of Alexandria (Alexandria, 3rd century BC).

The Pyramid of Cheops (Khufu) is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids, the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that has survived to this day. An Eastern proverb says: "Everything in the world is afraid of time, but time is afraid of the Pyramids." It is estimated that construction, which lasted twenty years, ended around 2540 BC. e. The architect of the Great Pyramid is considered to be Chemiun, the vizier and nephew of Cheops. He also bore the title "Manager of all Pharaoh's construction sites." For more than three thousand years (before the construction of the Cathedral in Lincoln, England, around 1300), the pyramid was the tallest building on Earth.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are one of the Seven Wonders of the World. A more correct name for this building is the Hanging Gardens of Amitis (according to other sources - Amanis): this is the name of the wife of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II, for whose sake the gardens were created. Presumably located in the ancient city-state of Babylon, near the modern city of Hill. The Hanging Gardens have existed for about two centuries. After the death of Amitis, the garden was no longer looked after, then powerful floods destroyed the foundation of the columns, and the entire structure collapsed. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon are the most mysterious structure of all the Wonders of the World. Scientists even doubt whether they really were or whether it was just a figment of someone's imagination, painstakingly copied from chronicle to chronicle.

The statue of Zeus at Olympia is the work of Phidias. An outstanding work of antique sculpture, one of the seven wonders of the world. It was located in the temple of Zeus, in Olympia - a city in the region of Elis, in the north-west of the Peloponnese peninsula, where from 776 BC. e. to 394 AD e. every four years the Olympic Games were held - competitions of Greek and then Roman athletes. The Greeks considered unhappy those who did not see the statue of Zeus in the temple. The Olympic Games, held for 300 years in honor of the god Zeus, were very popular among the people. Despite this, in Greece there was no main temple of Zeus and only in 470 BC. began to collect donations for its construction. According to legend, the temple was magnificent. The entire temple, including the roof, was built of marble. It was surrounded by 34 massive shell rock columns. Each was 10.5 meters high and more than 2 meters thick. The area of ​​the temple was 64 × 27 m. On the outer walls of the temple there were slabs with bas-reliefs depicting the 12 labors of Hercules. Bronze doors, 10 meters high, opened the entrance to the religious premises of the temple. In the 5th century BC. e. the citizens of Olympia decided to build a temple to Zeus. The majestic building was erected between 466 and 456 BC. e. It was built of huge stone blocks and was surrounded by massive columns. For several years after the completion of construction, there was no worthy statue of Zeus in the temple, although it was soon decided that it was necessary. The famous Athenian sculptor Phidias was chosen as the creator of the statue. About 40 A.D. e. the Roman emperor Caligula wanted to transfer the statue of Zeus to himself in Rome. Workers were sent for her. But, according to legend, the statue burst out laughing, and the workers fled in horror. The statue was damaged after an earthquake in the 2nd century BC. e., then it was restored by the sculptor Dimofont. In 391 A.D. e. the Romans, after the adoption of Christianity, closed the Greek temples. Emperor Theodosius I, who established Christianity, banned the Olympic Games as part of a pagan cult. Finally, only the foundation, some columns and sculptures remained from the temple of Olympian Zeus. The last mention of her dates back to 363 AD. e. At the beginning of the 5th century A.D. e. the statue of Zeus was transported to Constantinople. The statue burned down in a temple fire in 425 AD. e. or in a fire in Constantinople in 476 AD. e.

Ancient ruins at Olympia

The Temple of Artemis in Ephesus - one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was located in the Greek city of Ephesus on the coast of Asia Minor (now the city of Selcuk in the south of the province of Izmir, Turkey). The first large temple was built in the middle of the 6th century BC. e., burned by Herostratus in 356 BC. e., soon restored in a rebuilt form, in the III century, plundered by the Goths. In the IV century it was closed by Christians due to the prohibition of pagan cults and destroyed. The church built in its place was also destroyed.

Artemis of Ephesus

Model of a temple in Turkey in Miniaturk park

Temple ruins view

This is what the Mausoleum of Halicarnassus looked like

The Halicarnassus mausoleum is a tombstone of the Carian ruler Mavsol (Greek Μαύσωλος), built in the middle of the 4th century BC. e. by order of his wife Artemisia III in Halicarnassus (modern Bodrum, Turkey), one of the ancient wonders of the world. The mausoleum stood for 19 centuries. In the XIII century, it collapsed from a strong earthquake, and in 1522 the remains of the Mausoleum were dismantled by the knights-John for the construction of the fortress of St. Peter. In 1846, the ruins were explored by the British Museum expedition led by Charles Thomas Newton. Based on the results of the research, several versions of the reconstruction of the original appearance were drawn up, one of which was the basis for the Grant mausoleum in Manhattan.

Carian king Mavsol

Perhaps this is what the Colossus of Rhodes looked like.

The Colossus of Rhodes (Greek Κολοσσός της Ρόδου, Latin Colossus Rhodi) is a giant statue of the ancient Greek god of the Sun Helios, which stood in the port city of Rhodes, located on the island of the same name in the Aegean Sea, Greece. One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The sculptor Hares, a student of Lysippos, worked for twelve years to create an almost 36-meter bronze giant. When the work on the statue was completed, a tall and slender youth-god with a radiant crown on his head appeared to the eyes of the amazed Rhodians. He stood on a white marble plinth, leaning back slightly, and peered intently into the distance. The statue of the god towered right at the entrance to the harbor of Rhodes and was visible from the nearby islands. The statue was made of clay, at the base of it was a metal frame, and on top it was covered with bronze sheets. To make the grandiose monument, it took 500 talents of bronze and 300 talents of iron (about 13 and about 8 tons, respectively). The colossus also gave rise to a kind of fashion for giant statues, in Rhodes already in the II century. BC e. about a hundred colossal sculptures were installed. The colossus stood for sixty-five years. In 222 BC. e. the statue was destroyed by an earthquake. As Strabo writes, "the statue was lying on the ground, defeated by an earthquake and broken at the knees." But even then, the Colossus was surprising for its size. Pliny the Elder mentions that only a few could clasp the thumb of the statue with both hands (given the natural proportions of the human body, this indicates the height of the statue at 200 feet or 60 m). The wreckage of the Colossus lay on the ground for over a thousand years, until finally it was sold by the Arabs, who captured Rhodes in 977, to a merchant who, according to one of the chronicles, loaded 900 camels with them.

The Alexandria (Pharos) lighthouse - one of the 7 wonders of the world, was built in the 3rd century BC. e. in the Egyptian city of Alexandria so that ships can safely pass the reefs on their way to the Alexandria Bay. At night, they were helped in this by the reflection of the flames, and during the day - by a column of smoke. It was the world's first lighthouse, and it stood for almost a thousand years. The lighthouse was built on the small island of Pharos in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Alexandria. This bustling port was founded by Alexander the Great during a visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e. The structure was named after the island. Its construction was supposed to take 20 years, and it was completed around 283 BC. e., during the reign of Ptolemy II, king of Egypt. The construction of this gigantic structure took only 5 years. Architect - Sostrat of Cnidus. The Pharos lighthouse consisted of three marble towers, which stood on a base of massive stone blocks. The first tower was rectangular, it contained rooms in which workers and soldiers lived. Above this tower was a smaller, octagonal tower with a spiral ramp leading to the upper tower. The upper tower was shaped like a cylinder in which a fire was burning. By the XII century A.D. e. the bay of Alexandria was so silted up that ships could no longer use it. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. The bronze plates, which served as mirrors, were probably melted down into coins. In the XIV century, the lighthouse was completely destroyed by an earthquake. A few years later, its fragments were used to build a fortress. The fortress was subsequently rebuilt more than once. Interestingly, the walls of Babylon were the seventh wonder of the world before the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Before its construction, the walls of Babylon were considered the second wonder of the world. When a 130-meter lighthouse was built at the mouth of the Nile, contemporaries were so impressed by this outstanding technical achievement that they simply deleted the walls of Babylon from the list of the Seven Wonders of the World and added the lighthouse to it as the latest, newest miracle.

The Colosseum was also added to the list of wonders of the Ancient World.

The first mention of the Seven Wonders in Russia is found in Simeon of Polotsk, who is familiar with their description from some Byzantine source. In modern Europe, they became widely known after the publication of the book by Fischer von Erlach (1656-1723) "Outlines for the History of Architecture", which also contains the first known reconstructions of the famous monuments of ancient architecture.

Time is fleeting. Civilizations are changing, leaving behind a grandiose architectural heritage. Unfortunately, everything is subject to destruction, especially what was built by human hands. That is why the ancient seven wonders of the world, the description of which is known to everyone culturally, for the most part have not survived to our time. They were replaced by others that still exist. The seven wonders of the world of our time were chosen long enough and scrupulously. The result of this work was seven grandiose architectural structures that became famous all over the world.

Definition of the concept

What are the wonders of the world, and why did they receive such a proud name? Why were they singled out among all the monumental works of the ancient world and modern times? And they are so named due to the fact that they are above the category of time. These monuments of architectural thought are admired now in the same way as they were admired in antiquity. Legends are made about them.

Until recently, there were the ancient seven wonders of the world. The Pyramid of Cheops is the only one that has survived to this day. Others, such as the Hanging Gardens or the Lighthouse of Alexandria, did not survive. About them is known only from manuscripts, sketches of contemporaries and paintings, recreated from descriptions.

How the new list was elected

Thus, it was necessary to choose the new seven wonders of the world. Architectural monuments passed a real competition (it was conducted by the independent organization "New Open World Corporation"). All modern means were involved, including voices were received both via the Internet and via SMS messages. 90 million people around the world voted for the monument that they considered most worthy to bear such an honorary title. Thus, among several dozen applicants in 2007, seven wonders of the world of our time were selected. We will tell you more about each of them below. In the meantime, I would like to list those who were only one step away from the highest award. So, the final was attended by Red Square in Moscow, the Stonehenge building, the Eiffel Tower and the Acropolis in Greek Athens.

It is noteworthy that the Giza pyramids were also finalists of the competition, but the Egyptian authorities refused to participate in it. Most likely, they do not consider it possible for these architectural monuments to be included in the new seven wonders of the world, because they already appear in the ancients.

the great Wall of China

There are many legends and beliefs about how they were built. So, until now, many are convinced that the people who worked on its construction are buried right inside the structure - this is not the case. Although the fact that during the construction more than a million people died is true.

So, the construction of the Great Wall of China dates back to the 3rd century BC. The emperors conceived its construction.The construction pursued many goals, the main of which were:

• protection of lands from nomadic tribes;
• inadmissibility of assimilation of foreigners with the Chinese nation;

Thus, construction began, which dragged on for centuries. The rulers were replaced: some treated the building with disdain (the Manchurian Qing dynasty), others, on the contrary, watched the construction with great care.

It should be said that a large part of the wall collapsed because it was not being properly monitored. Only the site near Beijing was lucky - for a long time it served as a kind of gateway to the capital. Nevertheless, at the end of the eighties of the XX century, large-scale restoration work began, and in 1997 the Wall entered the seven wonders of the world of our time.

Why did she receive such an honorary title? This is the longest architectural structure in the world: the total length is 8851.8 kilometers. How was the Great Wall of China built that they were able to reach such an unprecedented size? The process went on for millennia, systematically. However, it should be said that this is not a solid structure. There are gaps along the Wall. This is what allowed the great Genghis Khan to conquer China in his time and rule in it for 12 years. Tens of millions of tourists visit this wonder of the modern world every year.

Rio: Christ statue

On the other side of the planet, in Rio de Janeiro, there is the famous statue of Christ the Redeemer. It rises above the city, arms outstretched, as if embracing all residents and guests of the multimillion city.

The monument was built to commemorate the centenary of Brazil's independence. For its construction, a truly picturesque place was chosen: Mount Corcovado, from which you can see the whole of Rio, with its "Sugarloaf" peak, famous beaches.

The whole country collected for the construction: the magazine "About Cruzeiro" announced a subscription, the funds from which went to the construction of the monument. The project was entrusted to Silva Costa, although other options had been proposed before it: thus, Christ's arms outstretched like a crucifix were offered by K. Oswald, the artist.

Brazil at that time was a poor, non-industrial country, therefore, it was impossible to implement such a large-scale project. France came to the rescue - it was there that the statue of Christ the Redeemer was made in detail. And then it was transported to Brazil. The parts were delivered to the place of construction by a small railway, which is still functioning. Millions of tourists annually climb one of the most famous structures of our time.

Taj Mahal

In Indian Agra, on the banks of the Jamna, the greatest palace-mausoleum, the Taj Mahal, is located. This is the tomb of the wife of the great descendant of Tamerlane, Shah-Jahan. The woman's name was Mumtaz Mahal, she died in childbirth.

The Taj Mahal in India is the pinnacle of the Mughal architectural style. It included a synthesis of the art of Indians, Persians and Arabs. The most famous element of the structure is a huge snow-white dome. The mausoleum itself is made of white marble. It is a five-domed palace, which houses the tombs of both the Shah himself and his wife. It is noteworthy that the four minarets located at the edges are slightly inclined - this protects the tombs from destruction in case of earthquakes, which are not uncommon in India. The mausoleum itself is adjoined by a park with picturesque fountains and a lake. Built by the Taj Mahal in 1653. 20 thousand builders have completed such a large-scale project in 22 years.

The mausoleum itself, thanks to numerous visitors, brings considerable funds to the treasury of India.

Chichen Itza

The legendary Mayan city is located on the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. This is not an ordinary city - it served as a capital, political and cult center. Chichen Itza was built in the 7th century AD. Most of the buildings belong to the Mayan culture, some of them were built by the Toltecs. At the end of the 12th century, there were no inhabitants left in Chichen Itza. One of the mysteries is connected with this, which has not yet been explained: either the Spaniards are responsible for everything, who destroyed the Maya during the invasion of Mexico, or everything happened naturally due to the decline in the economic situation of the capital.

Several architectural structures were found on the territory of the ancient city at different times. However, the most notable of them is the Chichen Itza pyramid. This is a kind of focus of the legendary Maya knowledge, their religious beliefs, the center of the cult. The 24-meter high has four edges, on which there are 9 steps. The stairs, located on each side of the pyramid, have 91 steps. If you add up their number, you get 364 plus one, leading to a small temple that crowns the pyramid. It turns out 365 - the number of days in a year.

The balustrade along the edges of the stairs is the body of a snake, whose head is at the base of the pyramid. B gives the impression that the snake is moving. And down in the fall, and up in the spring.

Ritual temples are located at the top of the pyramid and inside it. They were probably used for sacrifices.

Coliseum

The new seven wonders of the world of our time also include European monuments. This is the famous Roman Colosseum. Its appearance is partly due to the despotic rule of Nero. He, having committed suicide, left behind a grandiose palace with a lake in the very center of Rome. Vespasian, who came to power, decided to erase the cruel Nero from the memory of the people forever. It was decided to give the luxurious palace to the imperial institutions, and to build a huge amphitheater on the site of the lake. And so the Colosseum appeared. Initially, after its construction in 80, it was called the Flavian Amphitheater. The building received its modern name only in the 8th century, most likely because of its impressive size.

Initially, it was used to entertain the people with gladiator fights, baiting of animals, etc. It even celebrated the 1000th anniversary of Rome. However, in the Middle Ages, due to the invasion of barbarian tribes, the Colosseum was partially destroyed, in this process a powerful earthquake of the XIV century played an important role. After that, the grandiose structure is pulled apart brick by brick for construction needs.

Only in the 18th century, Pope Benedict XIV began to protect the Colosseum as an important architectural object. Now it is a symbol of Rome, which is visited by a great many tourists from all over the world.

Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu is a unique city in South America, located at an altitude of almost 2,500 thousand meters above sea level. The Spanish conquerors were unable to reach it, which is why the architecture of the ancient city remained intact.

Machu Picchu was discovered only at the very beginning of the 20th century by a professor at Yale University. It is noteworthy that very little is known about the city, they do not know anything about the number of the population, or about the purpose of the construction, etc. One thing is clear: Machu Picchu has a very clear structure and layout.

At the moment it is under protection. UNESCO has limited the number of daily visitors to 2,500.

Petra - the pearl of Jordan

A city in a rock - this is how one can characterize another wonder of the world of the modern world, the Jordanian Petra. The path to the city lies through natural gorges, which are the city walls. In ancient times, Petra was of great importance - it lay on the trade route between Damascus and the Red Sea region, as well as Gaza and the Persian Gulf. The city also lived in trade.

The inhabitants of Petra were able not only to skillfully work the stone, but also to collect water. In fact, the city has become an artificial oasis in the middle of the desert.

The main attraction attracting tourists is Al-Khazneh. According to scientists, this is a mausoleum temple. Many legends are associated with the construction. According to some, this is the place where the Pharaoh hid his riches during the time of Moses, according to others, it is a storehouse of robbed robbers.

Tourists all over the world know Petra and its main temple from the film about the adventures of Indiana Jones.