Where have the Seven Wonders of the World gone?

            The wonders of the world are classified into tow the seven wonders of the ancient world and the seven wonders of the modern world. The seven wonders of the ancient world were in fact the famous achievements of mankind in early civilizations. They were constructions, which the ancient Greeks and Romans regarded as the most wonderful creations in earlier days. Do you know the Seven Wonders of the World? The Pyramids of Egypt, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, The Tomb of Mausolus, The Temple of Artemis (Diana), The Colossus of Rhodes of Helios, The Statue of Zeus and The Light House of Pharos near Alexandria were the seven wonders of the ancient world. Out of these seven wonders, only the pyramids of Egypt still stand intact. The story behind their construction is very interesting.

            The sole surviving wonder-‘The Pyramids of egypt’- were made about 5,000 years ago. These are tombs of ancient Egyptian rulers, or Pharoahs. The biggest Pyramid is located at Giza, which is a small town near Cairo. This is the tomb of Pharaoh Cheops and his queen. The area of this pyramid is 5 hectares. Its base forms a square and its height is approximately around 147 meters. Abut 2,300,000 blocks of limestone were used for the construction of this tomb. It is said that more than one lakh laborers worked for about 20 years to complete it.

The Pyramids of Egypt

            The second wonder is ‘The Hanging Gardens of Babylon’. Around the 9^th century B.C., king Nebuchadnezzar had these gardens built for his wife Amytis. They were built with a series of terraces one on the top of another and 7.6 meter thick were built. Each terrace had enough soil depth to grow trees. The gardens were high ad irrigation was done by pumping water from River Euphrates through a hidden network of pipes. In 539 B.C., the Persians took control of Babylon and by 200 A.D., the people had left the city, which was in ruins.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

            The third wonder was the ‘Tomb of Mausolus’. The ruler of Halicarnassus, King Mausolus wanted to build a tomb for himself but therefore he could complete it, he died. It was his wife Artemisia who completed the construction. The approximate height of this tomb was 42.6 meters and it had a statue on its top representing the King and Queen riding a horse-driven chariot. It stood for centuries, but eventually fell into ruins. An Englishman brought the chariot’s wheel and fragments of the statue that are on display in British Museum, London.

The Tomb of Mausolus

            The fourth wonder of the world was ‘The Temple of Artemis Diana, at Ephesus with its roof resting on two rows of tall massive column about 20 meters high. This temple was constructed in the year 550 B.C., in the honor of the Goddess and was decorated with precious stones and metals. A madma burnt it down in 365 B.C.

The Temple of Artemis

            After many years Alexander the great decided to rebuild this temple when he conquered Ephesus and by 250 B.C., it was restored to its original splendour.

            The fifth wonder of the world was a bronze statue named ‘The Colossus of Rhodes of Helios’. Approximately 37 meters high, this was located at the Rhodes Island. This was constructed in the year 304 B.C., but this statue was destroyed in an earthquake after 66 years of its construction.

The Colossus of Rhodes of Helios

            The sixth wonder of the world was ‘The Statue of Zeus’ situated at Olympia. The famous sculptor Phidias made this wonder in the year 433 B.C. the hair and beard of this 12 meter high statue was made of gold. Its body was made of ivory and the eyes were made of precious diamonds. In 394 A.D., it was taken to constant-tinople where it got destroyed by fire.

The Statue of Zeus

            The seventh wonder of the world was the famous ‘Lighthouse of Pharos’ located in a peninsula near Alexandria, Egypt. This tower of white marble was completed in about 279 B.C., and was about 122 meters high. It had a ramp leading to the top where a beacon was kept lit day and night. It remained standing until 796 A.D.

The Light House of Pharos