Last week, I went to visit my mother, and found my old children’s encyclopedia “7 Wonders of the World” from her, flipped through it with nostalgia, and finally decided to make a post about the wonders of the world, because today there are many more than 7 wonders of the world.
To begin with, I propose to recall these “7 wonders” of antiquity.
The only miracle that has survived to this day. Construction, which lasted twenty years, began around 2560 BC. e. Excavation data from January 2010 confirm the theory that the pyramids were built by civilian workers. Up to 10 thousand people were simultaneously employed at the construction site, with workers working in shifts of three months. It is the oldest and largest of the three pyramids of the necropolis of the city of Giza.
Initially, the Cheops pyramid rose to 147 meters, but due to the advance of sands, its height decreased to 137 meters.
The Cheops Pyramid consists of 2,300,000 cubic blocks of limestone with smoothly polished sides. Each block weighs on average 2.5 tons, and the heaviest is 15 tons, the total weight of the pyramid is 5.7 million tons.
Confirmation of the inexplicably high knowledge of the Egyptians in the field of astronomy and civil engineering is the location of the Cheops pyramid in relation to the cardinal points: the pyramid almost unmistakably points to the true north. As a result of precise measurements carried out in 1925, it was established incredible fact: the error in its position is only 3 minutes 6 seconds.
The base area of the pyramid is comparable to the area of 10 football fields.
We can talk for a long time about the pyramids shrouded in myths and legends, their labyrinths and traps, mummies and treasures, but we’ll leave that to Egyptologists. For us, the Cheops Pyramid is one of the greatest structures of mankind throughout its existence and, of course, the only First Wonder of the World that has survived to this day from the depths of centuries.
Hanging Gardens of Babylon (Babylon)
The city has long ceased to exist, but even today the ruins testify to its grandeur. In the 7th century BC. Babylon was the largest and richest city of the Ancient East. There were many amazing structures in Babylon, but the most striking were the Hanging Gardens royal palace- gardens that have become a legend.
the famous “Hanging Gardens” were not created by Semiramis and not even during her reign, but later, in honor of another - non-legendary - woman. They were built by order of King Nebuchadnezzar for his beloved wife Amytis, a Median princess who, in dusty Babylon, yearned for the green hills of Media.
This king, who destroyed city after city and even entire states, built a lot in Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar turned the capital into an impregnable stronghold and surrounded himself with luxury unparalleled even in those times.
The design of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon was a pyramid with a base (43x35 meters), which consisted of four tiers mounted on twenty-five-meter columns. The surface of each tier was covered with a layer of reeds (reeds), stone blocks held together with gypsum and lead plates, on which a thick layer of fertile soil was poured. All these measures helped to preserve water for plants for as long as possible, of which there was very little in Babylon.
The height of the structure was almost thirty meters! Trees, flowers, soil - all this was brought in carts drawn by oxen. Water was supplied through pipes from the Euphrates River. To do this, hundreds of slaves turned a huge wheel installed in one of the towers around the clock.
Zeus statue in Olympia
The statue of Olympian Zeus is the work of Phidias. An outstanding work of ancient sculpture, one of the seven wonders of the world. It was located in the temple of Olympian Zeus, in Olympia - a city in the region of Elis. Construction of the temple took about 10 years. But the statue of Zeus did not appear in it right away. The Greeks decided to invite the famous Athenian sculptor Phidias to create a statue of Zeus.
Ancient Roman sculpture "Seated Zeus", Phidias type. Hermitage Gold covered the cape that covered part of Zeus’s body, the scepter with an eagle, which he held in his left hand, the statue of the goddess of victory - Nike, which he held in his right hand, and a wreath of olive branches on Zeus’s head. Zeus's feet rested on a stool supported by two lions. The reliefs of the throne glorified, first of all, Zeus himself. Four dancing Nikes were depicted on the legs of the throne. Centaurs, lapiths, the exploits of Theseus and Hercules, and frescoes depicting the battle of the Greeks with the Amazons were also depicted. The base of the statue was 6 meters wide and 1 meter high. The height of the entire statue together with the pedestal was, according to various sources, from 12 to 17 meters. Zeus's eyes were the size of an adult's fist.
Temple of Artemis of Ephesus (Ephesus)
Several hundred years BC, when Ephesus was at the zenith of its glory, the inhabitants decided to build a large temple. By that time, the city was already about 600 years old, it was rich and powerful, growing and prospering under the patronage of the goddess Artemis, sister of Apollo and daughter of Zeus - known in Roman mythology as Diana the Huntress. Artemis was also considered the goddess of the moon and helped women during childbirth.
The place for the new, majestic and grandiose temple in the part of the goddess was chosen as sacred - even in ancient times, religious rituals took place there. The townspeople decided not to spare either money or time, and also attracted wealthy construction sponsors from other regions of the country.
The finished temple was magnificent, and was constantly decorated with new decorative elements - after all, Ephesus was a very rich city. Historical data is contradictory, but it is mentioned that the temple had many bronze statues, the interior was decorated with gold and silver, the statue of the goddess herself was made of Ivory and gold, and trimmed with ebony.
It is noteworthy that in those days the temple was not only a religious building, but also a financial and business center. The souvenir business also flourished: not far from the temple, original souvenirs - its smaller copies - were successfully sold. Scientists still have not figured out which temple was considered a wonder of the world - rebuilt or burned by Herostratus
mausoleum in Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum in Halicarnassus is a wonderful monument of ancient Greek architectural art, which went down in the history of ancient culture as one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World. Our contemporaries generally believe that the mausoleum is the tomb of great leaders.
The builders placed the tomb in the peripterus - a building framed by a colonnade of 11-meter columns. To support the roof of the mausoleum, 36 columns were needed. The spaces between the columns were filled with various statues of mythological figures, and the roof looked like a step pyramid with 24 steps. Its crown was a marble quadriga, that is, an antique chariot with four horses harnessed to it. Huge statues of Mausolus and Artemisia were placed in the chariot, playing the role of charioteers. This magnificent sculpture reached a height of 6 m. In the tomb room there were marble sarcophagi intended for the royal couple. The foot of the mausoleum was decorated with sculptures of horsemen and marble lions.
In general, the history of the Halicarnassus mausoleum is eventful. At one time, he survived the conquest of the city by Alexander the Great, and even withstood the attack of pirates who set their sights on Halicarnassus at the beginning of the 1st century. However, after the Maltese attacked the mausoleum and took away stone and marble slabs from it, only the foundation remained of the majestic structure.
Colossus of Rhodes (Rhodes)
The colossus was the name given to a giant statue that stood in the port city of Rhodes, an island in the Aegean Sea, off the coast of modern Turkey. In ancient times, the people of Rhodes wanted to be independent traders.
The colossus grew on the shore of the harbor on an artificial hill lined with white marble. For twelve years no one saw the statue, because as soon as the next belt of bronze sheets was attached to the frame, the embankment surrounding the colossus was added to make it more convenient for the craftsmen to climb up. And only when the embankment was removed, the Rhodians saw their patron god, whose head was adorned with a radiant crown.
The sparkling god was visible many kilometers from Rhodes, and soon rumors about him spread throughout the ancient world. But half a century later, a strong earthquake that destroyed Rhodes knocked the colossus to the ground; the most vulnerable point of the statue was the knees. This is where the expression “colossus with feet of clay” comes from.
So the colossus lay on the shore of the bay - the main tourist attraction of the island. The defeated giant was seen by Pliny the Elder, who came there in the first century AD. What struck Pliny most was that only a few people could wrap their hands around the thumb of the statue.
The colossus lying on the ground was overgrown with cobwebs and legends. In eyewitness accounts, he seemed much larger than he actually was. Legends appeared in Roman literature that it originally towered over the entrance to the harbor and was so large that ships passed between its legs to the city.
Alexandria Lighthouse (Pharos)
Alexandrian lighthouse (Faros lighthouse) - one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, was built in the 3rd century BC. e. on small island Pharos near the shores of the Egyptian city of Alexandria. It was a busy port founded by Alexander the Great during his visit to Egypt in 332 BC. e.
The Alexandria Lighthouse was the world's first lighthouse and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the World that served a practical purpose, helping ships safely pass the reefs on their way to Alexandria Bay. The lighthouse, according to various estimates, rose to a height of 120 to 140 meters, and the light it emitted could be visible at a distance of up to 60 km.
The lighthouse stood for almost a thousand years, but by the 12th century AD. e., the Alexandria Bay became so silted that ships could no longer use it and the lighthouse fell into disrepair. Abandoned, it stood for some time, until in 796 AD. e. it was not destroyed by an earthquake. At the end of the 15th century. Sultan Qait Bey erected a fortress from the rubble on the site of the lighthouse, which was subsequently rebuilt more than once.
These are the miracles that were described in my book. The same ones: 7 wonders. But time does not stand still, and now there are many more such miracles. It seems to me that they are also worthy of our attention...
New 7 wonders of the world
Great Wall of China (China)
The Great Wall of China is one of the oldest architectural monuments China and a symbol of the power of Chinese civilization. There is probably not a single civilized person in the world who has not heard of the Great Wall of China. It stretches from the Liaodong Gulf northeast of Beijing through Northern China to the Gobi Desert.
Construction took 10 years and faced numerous difficulties. The main problem was the lack of appropriate infrastructure for construction: there were no roads, there was no adequate water and food for those participating in the work, while their number reached 300 thousand people, and total The construction workers employed under Qin reached, according to some estimates, 2 million. Slaves, soldiers, and peasants were involved in the construction. As a result of epidemics and overwork, at least tens of thousands of people died. Outrage against the mobilization for the construction of the wall caused popular uprisings and served as one of the reasons for the fall of the Qin dynasty.
Probably, no creation of human hands amazes the imagination as much as the Great Wall of China - the most grandiose and longest architectural and fortification structure on the planet. The wall is not just impressive - it is stunning. First of all, the titanic labor invested in it and its prohibitive size. Truly, only the Chinese, organized and hardworking like ants, could endure this. In China they say that a good half of their history lies in the Great Wall of China - it was built by different generations and dynasties over more than two thousand years, and all the country’s wars are connected with it in one way or another.
Christ the Redeemer Statue (Rio de Janeiro)
One of the most famous statues in the world and definitely the most recognizable in Brazil - the statue of Christ the Redeemer. Installed on Mount Corcovado at an altitude of more than 700 meters, she looks at the large city, located under it. The Christ statue in Rio de Janeiro, due to its fame, attracts millions of tourists to Mount Corcovado. From its height there is a beautiful view of the city of ten million with its bays, beaches, and the Maracana stadium.
The height of the statue is 38 m, including the pedestal - 8 m; arm span - 28 m. Weight - 1145 tons. Being the most high point area, the statue regularly (on average four times a year) becomes the target of lightning. The Catholic diocese specially keeps a supply of the stone from which the statue was built to restore parts of the statue damaged by lightning
The statue of Christ the Redeemer is without a doubt one of the main symbols not only of Rio de Janeiro, but of all of Brazil. Many tourists visit the statue every year. Mount Corcovado experiences a particularly large influx of visitors during the traditional annual carnival, which is held in Rio de Janeiro. Definitely, this grandiose monument is one of the greatest works of sculpture in the world.
Colosseum (Rome)
amphitheatre, listed building Ancient Rome, the most famous and one of the most grandiose buildings ancient world that have survived to this day. Located in Rome, in the hollow between the Esquiline, Palatine and Caelian hills.
The construction of the largest amphitheater in the entire ancient world, with a capacity of over 50 thousand people, took place over eight years as a collective construction of the emperors of the Flavian dynasty. It began to be built in 72 AD. under Emperor Vespasian, and in 80 AD. The amphitheater was consecrated by Emperor Titus. The amphitheater was located on the site where there was a pond that belonged to the Golden House of Nero.
For a long time, the Colosseum was for the residents of Rome and visitors the main place for entertainment spectacles, such as gladiator fights, animal persecution, and naval battles.
The opening of the Colosseum was marked by 100 days of entertainment. During this time, several thousand warriors and 5 thousand wild animals brought from Africa died in gladiatorial tournaments. The theater's arena had a sliding floor that raised and lowered, and with the help of a water supply connected to the Colosseum, the stage was filled with water and naval battles were staged. Up to 3,000 gladiators could fight in the arena at the same time, and 50 thousand spectators, frantically demanding “bread and circuses,” tensely watched the bloody battles, chariot races and theatrical performances. The scale of the celebrations dedicated to the opening of the Colosseum could only be matched by the bloody celebration of the 1000th anniversary of Rome in 248, when dozens of lions, tigers, leopards, elephants, giraffes, horses, donkeys and hyenas were killed in just 3 days. 1000th anniversary " eternal city"became the last day of life for 2000 gladiators.
Machu Picchu (Peru)
City ancient America, located in the territory of modern Peru. Machu Picchu is also often called “the city in the sky” or “the city among the clouds”, sometimes called “ lost city Incas." This city was created as a sacred mountain retreat by the great Inca ruler Pachacutec a century before the conquest of his empire, around 1440, and functioned until 1532, when the Spanish invaded the Inca Empire. In 1532, all its inhabitants mysteriously disappeared.
Due to its modest size, Machu Picchu cannot claim to be large city- there are no more than 200 structures in it. These are mainly temples, residences, warehouses and other premises for public needs. For the most part they are made of well-processed stone, slabs tightly fitted to each other. It is believed that up to 1,200 people lived in and around it, who worshiped the sun god Inti there and cultivated crops on the terraces. For more than 400 years, this city was forgotten and was in desolation.
Machu Picchu, especially after receiving UNESCO World Heritage status, has become the center mass tourism. In 2011, it was decided to limit the number of visitors. According to new rules, only 2,500 tourists per day can visit Machu Picchu, of which no more than 400 people can climb Mount Wayna Picchu, which is part of the archaeological complex. In order to preserve the monument, UNESCO requires that the number of tourists per day be reduced to 800. Machu Picchu is located in a remote region.
City of Petra (Jordan)
The city of Petra in Jordan is located in the heart of the desert. This place is a heritage ancient culture. Built more than two thousand years ago, it is of great value to admirers ancient architecture and art. This ancient miracle city stretches along a winding valley formed among the rocks, on a place that was a river bed in ancient times. Steps carved into the rocks lead to an innumerable number of structures - monuments, necropolises, reservoirs, altars. More than eight hundred monuments of Petra have survived to this day.
Petra's surviving structures include rock-cut temples, dwellings, tombs, reservoirs, aqueducts and altars. If you approach the city along the es-Siq gorge, the first large monument that opens up to your gaze is el-Khazneh - a temple located in a solid rock with a two-tiered façade approx. 20 m.
A mysterious people who have reached unattainable architectural heights are the Nabateans. Without exaggeration, we can say that the best reminder that they left about themselves to their descendants and which speaks about them better than any chronicles is a windswept pink rock masterpiece, hidden by them among the inaccessible mountains.
Pyramid of Kukulcan (Mexico)
25 meters high with nine levels, located in the center of a large square. The base of the pyramid is a square with sides of 55.5 meters. On each side of the pyramid there are four wide staircases, each with 91 steps. And these stairs lead to the upper platform on which the temple is located.
The northern staircase of the pyramid ends with snake heads - a symbol of Kukulkan, because translated from the Mayan language, Kukulkan is a feathered serpent.
Exactly at 17:15, the light show begins - the sun's rays, when going around the ledges of the pyramid on the days of the equinox, through the play of light and shadows, depict the image of a revived ancient god. This effect lasts for 3 hours and 22 minutes. The sun goes lower and the image becomes clearer. Soon the seven curves of the body of the Solar Serpent appear - they are formed by the shadows of the seven ledges of the pyramid. The sun goes down - and the snake also slides, lower and lower. And below, at the foot of the pyramid, the head of the image coincides with the real stone sculptured head of the serpent, which ends the northern staircase of the pyramid.
The ancient builders of the Mayan tribe were simply brilliant, being able to calculate the parameters so accurately at that time and placing the walls of the pyramid strictly along the cardinal points. The Kukulcan Pyramid has some astronomical significance. Each of its staircases has 91 steps, and the total number of steps is 364, plus the upper platform step at the base of the temple, for a total of 365 - a number corresponding to the number of days in a year. And the side parts of the structure are divided in accordance with the number of months in the Mayan calendar - into eighteen sections.
Taj Mahal (India)
The Taj Mahal is a mausoleum-mosque located in Agra, India, on the banks of the Jamna River (the architects were probably Ustad-Isa and others). Built by order of the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died during childbirth (Shah Jahan himself was later buried here). Although the white marble dome of the mausoleum is the most famous component, the Taj Mahal is a structurally integrated complex. The building began to be built around 1632 and was completed in 1653, employing thousands of artisans and craftsmen. The management of the construction of the Taj Mahal was entrusted to a Council of Architects under imperial control, including Abd ul-Karim Mamur Khan, Makramat Khan and Ustad Ahmad Lahauri. Lakhauri is usually considered the main designer.
Majestic, divine, shining, and, despite its 74-meter height, so light and airy that it is like a fairy-tale dream, the Taj Mahal mausoleum rises in the valley of the Yamuna River - the most beautiful architectural creation of India, and, perhaps, of the whole earth... White marble domes soar high into the sky - one large and four small ones, in the chaste outlines of which one can guess the female form. Reflected in the motionless surface of an artificial canal, the Taj Mahal seems to float in front of us, representing an example of extraterrestrial beauty and perfect harmony... But it is not only architectural perfection that attracts millions of travelers from all over the world to the Taj Mahal. The story of its origin makes no less impression on the hearts of people... A story more like oriental fairy tale or a legend that any poet would envy...
Travel is a good opportunity to discover new and unknown things. Everywhere on the planet you can find extraordinary things or phenomena, the creator of which is nature itself. BiletyPlus.ru will tell you about the most amazing natural wonders of the world.
Water
The Eisreisenwelt Ice Caves are the world's largest ice caves, located in.
Kilometers of solid ice, blocks of frozen water underground - what could be more impressive?
The Austrian ice caves can only be rivaled by the Antarctic frozen tsunami, which took hundreds of years to form. Giant frozen waves of ice, and this is not an iceberg at all!
The oldest tree on the planet and also the oldest living organism on Earth - the Methuselah pine - appeared from a seed that fell into the soil in 2832 BC. You can see this pine in California.
One of the most spectacular natural phenomena on the planet involving living beings occurs annually on Christmas Island (eastern part of Indian Ocean, near Australia) is the migration of the red crab.
While in the Amazon region, you can get acquainted with an unusual transparent butterfly.
Extraordinary encounters with natural wonders await travelers anywhere in the world. Therefore, before you go on a trip, take the time to find out what is unusual in the area where you are going. And then your vacation will be provided with the maximum amount of impressions!
When we hear the phrase “wonders of the world,” as a rule, we immediately remember: Hanging Gardens Semiramis, Statue of Zeus at Olympia, Great Pyramid in Giza, the Temple of Artemis in Ephesus, the Mausoleum in Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Lighthouse of Alexandria. However, now we will talk about little known places, which can also be added to this famous list. We invite you to discover new wonders of our world.
10. Plitvice Lakes in Croatia
National Park in Croatia boasts the most stunning views of waterfalls and open lakes. Plitvice Lakes can easily be considered one of the most beautiful places on this list. The combination of bright green with deep blue creates an unimaginable landscape that will excite your imagination for a long time. The park remains unusually beautiful even in winter, when most of the lakes and waterfalls freeze. If you have the opportunity to visit Croatia, be sure to visit this natural wonder of the world.
9. Quinta da Regaleira in Portugal
In the Quinta de Regaleira park, which is located near Sintra (Portugal), there is a tower, a small chapel, a huge number of caves with secret passages, as well as a spiral stone staircase, which is of particular interest. This staircase can lead you to several exits at once. The construction of the staircase was carried out in accordance with the esoteric theories and Masonic views held by Corvalho Monteiro. At the very heart of the staircase on the Templar cross is a compass rose. What is interesting is that the symbolism is closely related to the theme of life and death, common to initiation rituals.
8. Glencoe Valley in Scotland
This narrow valley is located in the north of Scotland and is one of the most amazing places in the country. Don't forget that Scotland is a source of natural beauty, so you can imagine how magical this place is. The Glencoe Valley is dotted with a variety of lush vegetation, and in the very center flows a river with unusually clear water.
7. Valley of Flowers in India
The national park in India is the most beautiful wonder of the world on this list. The inner sides of the steep slopes are dotted with a wide variety of vegetation. In addition to boasting natural beauty and grandeur, this beautiful valley of flowers is also home to endangered animals: snow leopard, white-breasted bear, nakhur, Brown bear.
6. Krubera Cave
This cave is located within mountain range Arabica in Abkhazia. Krubera is the most famous deep cave on Earth, its depth reaches 2,191 meters. Due to the huge number of birds that nest there, the cave received the name “Crow Cave”.
5. Lachugia Cave
This amazing wonder of the world is also located in New Mexico. The cave is the seventh explored chain in the world and is 134.6 miles long. Lechugia represents the most famous spectacular crystalline formation of aragonite and gypsum. The discovery of this ancient ecosystem took place in 1986.
4. Lion Rock Sigiriya
Lion Rock represents the remains of an ancient mountain palace and fortress. Located in the Matale region of Sri Lanka, surrounded by an endless network of gardens. Sigiriya is a huge hit among tourists due to its ancient paintings (frescoes) reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves in India. Lion Rock was built during the reign of King Kassapa I and is among the sites World Heritage Sri Lanka. In prehistoric times the rock was inhabited, and from the 5th century BC. there was a mountain monastery in it.
3. Banaue Rice Terraces
These peculiar rice terraces were carved by indigenous people in Mount Ifugao in the Philippines approximately two thousand years ago. Filipinos call them the eighth wonder of our planet. There is evidence that the terraces were built manually, without any equipment. They are located at an altitude of 1500 meters above sea level and occupy about 10,360 square kilometers mountains. Scientists calculated that if the terraces were dense, they could surround half globe. People in the Philippines still use them to grow rice and vegetables. As a result, the terraces have begun to show erosion and are in need of immediate reconstruction.
2. Tent rocks Kasha-Katuwe
The Kasha-Katuwe rocks are located in New Mexico, formed approximately 7 million years ago after a volcanic eruption. The rock formations received their unique shape due to special weather conditions and erosion. The name of these stones is translated from the local language as “white cliffs”. It is worth noting that the height of the rocks varies from two to thirty meters.
1. Ice towers and caves of Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus is the second largest volcano in Antarctica. At the top of the mountain there are a huge number of ice towers formed as a result of steam emissions from volcanic activity. Most ice towers emit steam, making them look like chimneys protruding from the icy sides of a volcano. The interesting thing is that these chimney pillars contain many caves that were formed by various phenomena. Each of the caves has cavernous underground cavities that emit blue light.
We all know and have heard about the seven wonders of the world. These are the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the Colossus of Rhodes, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. However, there are still many amazing and interesting places that can be added to this list. We present to your attention a selection of little-known wonders of the world.
Ice towers and caves of Mount Erebus
Mount Erebus is the second largest volcano in Antarctica, active since 1972. Erebus has many ice towers formed as a result of steam emissions due to volcanic activity. Many ice towers constantly emit steam. In addition to these chimney-like pillars, the volcanic mountain is home to a number of naturally formed ice caves, with blue, eerily cavernous underground chambers.
Tent rocks Kasha-Katuwe
The Kasha-Catuwe tent rocks in New Mexico were formed approximately seven million years ago as a result of ash deposited by a pyroclastic flow from a volcanic explosion. As with most rock formations, weathering and erosion can be credited with creating the area's remarkable geography. The noticeably pointed tent-like stones get their interesting name from the native language of the area, and mean “white cliffs”. The rocks vary in height, sometimes reaching 30 meters in height.
Banaue Rice Terraces, Philippines
The Banaue Rice Terraces are 2,000-year-old terraces that were carved into Mount Ifugao in the Philippines by the ancestors of the indigenous people. The terraces are commonly referred to by Filipinos as the “Eighth Wonder of the World”. It is believed that the terraces were built with minimal equipment, mostly by hand. They are located approximately 1,500 meters above sea level and cover 10,360 square kilometers of mountainside. It is estimated that if they were placed closely, they would surround half the globe. Locals Rice and vegetables are still grown on terraces to this day. The result is a gradual erosion of this wonder of the world, which needs constant reconstruction and care.
Lion Rock Sigiriya, Sri Lanka
Sigiriya (Lion Rock) is the remains of an ancient mountain fortress and palace, located in central region Matale of Sri Lanka, surrounded by the remains of an extensive network of gardens, tanks and other structures. A popular tourist destination, Sigiriya is also famous for its ancient paintings (frescoes) that are reminiscent of the Ajanta Caves in India. Sigiriya was built during the reign of King Kassapa I (477 AD – 495) and it is one of Sri Lanka's seven World Heritage Sites. During prehistoric times, Sigiriya was inhabited. Used as a mountain monastery from around the 5th century BC.
Lechuguia Cave
One of the most popular little known wonders of the world, Lechuguia Cave is another location found in New Mexico. The cave is the seventh explored chain in the world, with a known length of 134.6 miles. The cave is the most famous spectacular crystal formation of gypsum and aragonite. Before its discovery in 1986, Lechuguia had been untouched for hundreds of millions of years, being one of the most ancient ecosystems.
Krubera Cave
Krubera Cave, located within the Arabica Mountains in Abkhazia, is the deepest known cave on Earth, with a depth of 2,191 meters. The cave is also known as Crow Cave due to the large number of birds nesting there.
Valley of Flowers in India
Valley of Flowers National Park in India is one of the most beautiful wonders of the world on this list. There's something incredible about high peaks, rising into the clouds and steep slopes, completely covered with lush vegetation and unique flora. The Valley of Flowers is home to many rare, endangered animals such as the Asiatic black bear, snow leopard, brown bear and blue sheep.
Glencoe Valley in Scotland
Situated at the northern tip of Scotland, Glencoe is a narrow river valley that is often considered one of the most spectacular places in the country. The Glencoe Valley is home to a stunning variety of flora, as well as high peaks on both sides and a crystal clear river running through its heart.
Quinta da Regaleira in Portugal
Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal features a descending spiral staircase that leads to multiple exits. The name came from the belief that this place was the birthplace of Masonic rituals. At the base lies a compass rose on a Templar cross. The symbolism directly concerns life and death, a common theme for initiation rituals.
Plitvice lakes in Croatia
Plitvice Lakes National Park is home to spectacular views of beautiful open lakes and waterfalls. The contrast of deep blues with vibrant greens creates incredible landscapes that excite the imagination. The park is no less exciting even in winter, when some of the waterfalls and lakes freeze. While in Croatia, be sure to visit Plitvice Lakes, one of the natural wonders of the world.
Wulingyuan in China
Head to more than three thousand huge sandstone pillars, many of which are towers more than two hundred meters high - this is Wulingyuan in China. It is one of the most stunning natural sites in the world. The tall pillars are composed of quartzite and sandstone and are karst formations. The incredible area is located one hundred and seventy miles northeast of Changsha and became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992, however it still remains relatively unknown to most of the world's population.
Kay Gompa Monastery
Ki Monastery or Kay Gompa is a Tibetan Buddhist monastery that stands spectacularly on a hill overlooking the small Indian village of Kibar. The monastery stands at an altitude of 13,668 feet above sea level and the village below is said to be the highest in India. Founded in the 11th century, the Kay Gompa monastery has experienced many turbulent events. It was repeatedly attacked, ravaged by Mongol armies, and devastated by fires and earthquakes. Constant destruction and reconstruction has resulted in the building being shaped like a box, providing maximum protection.
