In July of 2007, based on a worldwide vote, a new set of the seven wonders of the world was announced. Here is my view of those chosen, and the order in which I rate them.

7th: Colosseum

1st up on my list is the Roman Colosseum, located in the centre of Rome, Italy.

Official Blurb - This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum’s original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.

Personal View - Sure enough the Colosseum is impressive, but in light of its modern equivalents I couldn’t help but feel a little blasé as I walked round it. And in a city so full of impressive monuments and buildings as Rome is, it can seem a little lost in its surroundings. Having said that, it is definitaly not to be missed if your visiting Italy’s capital.

6th: Christ The Redeemer

Next on my list is the statue of Christ the Redeemer, situated on the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Official Blurb - It stands some 38 meters tall, and took five years to construct, being completed in 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.

Personal View - The most recently constructed of the wonders, Christ the Redeemer is more about the symbology than actual ingenuity of its construction. Few locations are more impressive, sited on a huge rock rising to the heavens, overlooking the wonderous Rio harbour. And with the image of Christ looking down upon the people of Rio, with open arms, it doesn’t get much more symbolic.

5th: Petra

In at number five is the ancient city of Petra, Jordan.

Official Blurb - On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with great tunnel constructions and water chambers. A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.

Personal View - Anyone who has seen ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ will recognise the treasury (pictured above), and although travelling through the narrow gorge (called the Siq) and seeing this fantastic structure for the first time must be quite an experience, there is so much more to Petra. Tombs, streets, temples, a theatre and a palace await those who explore the city of stone. However I can’t escape the feeling that this is a slightly odd choice for one of the new Seven Wonders. All the previous wonders are single structures of magnificence and importance, where this is a whole city.

Still, I can’t dispute it is a wondrous and captivating city, and high on my list of places to visit.

4th: Machu Picchu

Forth in my list is Mysterious Incan city of Machu Picchu, Peru.

Official Blurb - In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu (”old mountain”). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained ‘lost’ for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.

Personal View - Machu Piccu has always been on my list of places I would most like to visit (view its entry in my Top Five Places list), and for that I can forgive the fact that, like Petra, it is not just one structure as the original wonders were. surrounded by fantastic scenery and full of mystery, I can think of no better reward after a long hike through mountainous, jungle infested, terrain, than to be greeted with such a site as this.

3rd: Chichen Itza Pyramid

At number three in my list of the new Seven Wonders of the World is the pyramid at Chichen Itza, Mexico.

Located on the Yucatan Peninsula, Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners – can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. but the pyramid, or Castillo, was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.

Personal View - Reminiscent of the great Egyptian Pyramid (the only surviving member of the original seven wonders), it seems only fitting this be included in the new list. Unfortunatly you can no long climb up the 91 steps to the top platform and look out over the surrounding jungle, but you can at least still get up close.

2nd: Great Wall of China

In second place in my list is the Great Wall of China.

Official Blurb - The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system to better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.

Personal View - I would love to walk along China’s great wall, imagining what it must have been like as a watchman on the lookout for Mongol attack. However, nowadays the wall is has many parts in disrepair and even missing. In fact its so long there has never been a complete survey of it, so no one really knows exactly how much of it is still there. Despite this, no one can dispute its inclusion in the new wonders list.

1st: Taj Mahal

At the top of my list of the new Seven Wonders of the World is the Taj Mahal, India.

Official Blurb - Situated in Agra, India, This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.

Personal View - One of the most beautiful buildings ever devised, and one everyone knows on site. With its magnificent white marble facade and intricate designs, just spending time photographing it would be a fantastic experience. A structure worthy of being top of the new list of seven wonders of the world.