WORDLY WONDERS

The world is full of wonderful things, whether man made, formed by nature, ancient or modern. We're surrounded by exiting marvels that remind us just how our planet is. Amazingly, we can till visit structures that are millennia old. Through them, history comes alive and we can learn about how our ancestors lived, worked and spent their time. Let's visit some of them together.

1. STONEHENGE
it consist of a ring of carefully arranged giant rocks. The formation is believed to be between 2,000 and 3,000 years old. One theory is that it served as astronomical observatory, another is that it's used to tell the time. Stonehenge is located in Wiltshire, England. It Also aligned with the midwinter sunrise and the midsummer sunset, meaning whoever built it must have been highly skilled in mathematics and geometry.

2. THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA
The great pyramid was built in the 25500 BC as a tomb for the Egyptian pharaoh Khufu. It took approximately 20 years to complete and used about 2.3 million stone blocks. It is the oldest of the seven wonders of the world, and the only one that still stands today. When it was built, the pyramid was almost 147m ( 482 ft) tall, but due to erosion it is now 139m ( 456 ft) tall. It is also the largest of the three pyramids in Giza which is part of modern-day Cairo.

3. THE COLOSSAL COLOSSEUM
Italy's most famous amphitheater was built during the Roman Empire. Construction on the huge structure started in 70 BC and took more than ten years to complete. When completed it could house 80,000 spectators, who would come to watch gladiators compete, enjoy mock sea battle and observe animal spectacles. Over the centuries the structure has been damaged by earthquakes. In 1349, a large earthquake collapsed the outer southern portion. The Romans didn't let ruins go to waste though the rubble from the collapse was used to build other structures in the city.

4. THE MOAI OF EASTER ISLAND
Easter Island in eastern Polynesia is famous for the giant humans figure that populate it called Moai, they were carved between 1100 and 1680. They are between 4m (13 ft) and 10m (32 ft) tall and weigh between 6 and 80 tonnes. Although the heads are mostly what is visible, the statues do have bodies, they are hidden under the earth. No one is quite sure why the Moai were built, but it's thought they could have been memorials to family members.

4. INDIA'S GRAND TAJ MAHAL
Taj Mahal means "crown of palaces", located in India. Construction of the Taj Mahal was started around 1632 by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan as a way to honor the memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The huge building took more than 20 years to complete and is made of brilliant white marble. It sits by a huge reflecting pool. Making it appear even larger than it's 171m (561 ft).

5. HISTORIC PETRA
The city of Petra in Jordan is one of the world's unique sites. Believed to have been established around 300 Bc, half of it's structure are carved right into the pinkish rock. Because of this, it is often called the Rose City. For centuries the city was thought to be lost to history, it was only rediscovered in 1812. Despite all this, people do live here. Most members of the Bedouin community live in cave-like homes carved from the rock.
6. GREAT WALL OF CHINA
People started to build the Great Wall of China in 475 BC to protect china from invasion. Although it's definitely the largest man-made structure on Earth, it's difficult to say exactly how long it once was. This is because it's actually made up of many different sections that have been built and repaired over the centuries. Parts of the wall are over 2,000 years old. More than 10,000,000 people visit the Great Wall of china every year. Despite rumours, you can't see Great Wall from space.

7. THE PROUD PARTHENON
One of Greece's most famous structure is Parthenon. It was considered more than 2,000 years ago to serve as a temple to the goddess Athena, whom Athens was named after. Athena was the goddess of wisdom. The structure is considered the most important surviving building of Classical Greece. Over the centuries, the building has been used as a temple, a church, a mosque, a treasury and an armoury.

8. THE RUINS OF MACHU PICCHU
In the native language of Quechua, Machu Picchu means "Old Peak" or "Old Mountain". It is located 2,430m ( 7,970 ft) above sea level in Peru, this ancient Incan city is also known as the Lost City of the Incas. It's famous for the mystery that surrounds it. People have always wondered how a stone City was built without wheels or iron tools. Some of the stones used to build the city weighed more than 50 tonnes. Without wheels, they were either pushed up the mountain by hundreds of men or chiseled from the granite bedrock of the mountain ridge. The architects behind the city were incredibly skilled , they built the 600 famous terrace to stop the buildings from sliding down the mountain.

© Olarewaju Aishat Olamide





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