The Seven Wonders of the World is a phrase we’ve all heard before, and it’s one that’s well established. It immediately evokes thoughts of Greek and Middle Eastern splendor from the millennia before the birth of Christ. However, the term has evolved, and the focus has moved from the ancient world’s Seven Wonders to the new Seven Wonders. There’s no fixed definition of where the dividing line is between the ancient and the new, but the birth of Jesus is a pretty good baseline. In this article, we’ll be looking at the Seven New Wonders of the World and putting forward an alternative seven that could have made the list in different circumstances.
Membership in the Seven New Wonders of the World is hotly debated. Many regional views and biases come into play, making the selection often controversial and emotive. What’s clear is a consensus view of the Seven New Wonders of the World has emerged, which is shown below.
Selecting just seven ‘wonders’ from over 2000 years of human history will always be difficult. However, several sights are real contenders to be included as viable alternatives. We’ll be looking at these seven sights over the coming paragraphs.
Our first contender is Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Built in the 12th century and spanning over 160 hectares, the site consists of many different temples. Many of these temples retain all of their original splendour while others such as Ta Prohm have begun to be taken over by the jungle. Easily accessible from Siem Reap, this is one ‘wonder’ you need to see.
Our second contender is Borobudur, a Buddhist temple on the Indonesian Island of Java. Constructed in the 7th century, this massive stone temple is decorated with 2672 reliefs and 504 Buddha statues. Located in the shadow of the active volcano, Mount Merapi, this is an incredible sight. Visited by millions of tourists each year, you can easily access the site from the local town of Mendut or the larger city of Yogyakarta. Borobudur is an essential part of any trip to Java or as part of a wider Indonesian adventure.
Third on our list is the African treasure of Abu Simbel. It is situated in the far south of Egypt and is somewhat outside of the original criteria on account of being built in the 13th century BC. However, we have included it on our list as, quite frankly, it’s too awesome not to include! The site is two large rock-cut temples built as a dedication to King Ramesses II. Incredibly the temples were relocated in the 1960’s following the building of the Aswan High Dam and the creation of Lake Nassar. Accessible from Aswan, this sight is far from anywhere, but well worth the effort! You can read more in our Alexandria to Aswan guide.
Bagan is a former city within modern-day Myanmar. The city was built between the 9th century and 13th century and at its peak, comprised of over 10,000 temples and Pagodas. While not all of them have survived to present day, the remains are spectacular, to say the least. Best accessed and viewed via bicycle, both sunset and sunrise are a special time at Bagan. Bagan is the reason many tourists choose to visit Myanmar and those that do are certainly not disappointed.
Somewhat of an outside bet is the medieval deserted city of Fatehpur Sikri in India. Built in the 1570s and deserted a mere 40 years later, the city served as the capital of the Mughal Empire. The city has been preserved in pristine condition, providing a real glimpse of a different time. It is easily accessible from the city of Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. Perhaps this is the real ‘wonder of Agra’?
Our sixth contender is the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria. Once a great city, it was made wealthy by its location on the route of trade caravans. The city reached its peak of importance in the third century before the Roman Empire destroyed the city. Despite this, much remained, including a wonderful amphitheater, the Temple of Bel, and the Great Colonnaded Avenue. The recent civil war in Syria has unfortunately seen significant damage to Palmyra and the opportunity to visit is unlikely in the coming years.
The Guatemalan ancient city of Tikal is our final contender. Tikal was the dominant city in the Mayan Kingdom and existed for over 1000 years, primarily in the centuries after the birth of Christ. Like many other archaeological sights in Central America, it featured distinctive stepped temples. Abandoned and left to the jungle for hundreds of years, it wasn’t until the 1950s that the sight was mapped and restored. Tikal is most commonly visited from the nearby town of Flores.
So looking back at our list, we think there are some definite contenders for the New Seven Wonders of the World in there.
Just to recap, this is what our final list looks like:
There are some incredible sights included. Anyone lucky enough to have visited one or more of these places will agree that even if they don’t make the official list, a visit is an unforgettable experience.
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