Visiting the original seven wonders of the world

There’s a lot of confusion of what the original seven wonders of the world actually are. Asking most people draws out a whole range of responses, from the Great Wall of China to Stonehenge. In fact, neither of these is correct; all of the original Seven Wonders of the World were familiar to the classical Greeks, while the lists were compiled in the Middle Ages from Greek writings. The original list is:

Great Pyramid of Giza

Hanging Gardens of Babylon

Statue of Zeus at Olympia

Temple of Artemis at Ephesus

Mausoleum of Maussollos at Halicarnassus

Colossus of Rhodes

Lighthouse of Alexandria

Out of all of these, only the Great Pyramid still survives today. There is some controversy to whether or not the Hanging Gardens really existed as they were only mentioned by Greek poets and not in the chronicles of Babylonian history. The Hanging Gardens would be the most eastern lying of the wonders, in modern day Iraq, so it would currently be off limits for tourists anyhow. All of the other sites are either in Greece, Western Turkey, or Egypt, with two each respectively, and substantial ruins and museums sit at every site. Visiting all seven sites would certainly be a great and eye opening achievement for both keen travellers and historians. Have a look below for some commentary of the wonders in their locations; the Hanging Gardens is not included due to it currently being dangerous to visit and because of its questionable existence.

Greece

In the south of Greece lies the town of Olympia, which is slightly off the beaten track and around four and a half hours drive west of Athens. Home to the original Olympic Games that were held almost 3,000 years ago, Olympia also features the ruins of the Statue of Zeus. The old 40 foot statue is believed to have been destroyed around 400 AD, and today the site consists of fractured foundation blocks and an old workshop attraction, but there are plenty of other ruins and attractions around the area.

Across the Aegean Sea is the island of Rhodes, which is a very popular tourist destination for UK nationals. The shortest lived of the seven wonders used to stand here: The Colossus of Rhodes. This huge statue was over 30 metres high, and stood for only 54 years before it was destroyed by an earthquake in 226 BC.

While neither of the wonders is in Greece’s capital, Athens is one of the top destinations in the world for historical sites, and an essential visit if you’re touring Greece. The buildings on the famous Acropolis, such as the ancient Parthenon, are some of the best surviving classical structures. See FantasticGreece.com for a directory of Athens hotels.

Turkey

The Aegean Coast of Turkey has some of the best weather, most scenic beaches, and top historical sites in Turkey, and indeed the whole of the Mediterranean. It is also home to two of the original Seven Wonders of the World. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus now consists of a few pillars and grass, but the surrounding area boasts some of the most stunning ancient sites still in existence. Roman architecture is particularly prevalent here, with a huge theatre, The Temple of Hadrian, and the stunning Celsus Library, all giving a great impression on the classical city’s ancient splendour.

Lying slightly south along the coast is another ancient city: Halicarnassus. This houses the ruins of Mausoleum of Maussollos, which is one of the most intact archaeological sites for the wonders of the world; much of the original stone and pillars lie around the site.

See Cheap Flights.co.uk for Flights to Turkey and other information for visiting the region.

Egypt

The bustling city of Alexandria, on the north shore of Egypt, is where the ancient Pharos used to stand. However, after it was damaged by earthquakes the Qaitbay Citadel was built over its ruins. Some of the old ruins are still noticeable today, but Qaitbay Citadel is a quite remarkable historic site in any case; it’s a large late medieval fortress built to protect the harbour.

To the south at Giza, near Cairo, stands the only remaining of the original Seven of Wonders of the World: The Pyramids. These are a breathtaking site jutting out from the Egyptian desert. The largest of these, the Great Pyramid, was constructed around 2570 BC, making it over 4500 years old. It also stood as the tallest building in the world until around 1300 AD, at a huge 138.8 metres tall. The core blocks of the pyramid each weigh about 1.5 tons each, and the granite blocks used to roof the burial chambers are estimated to weight up to 80 tons each. By standards both ancient and new, the Pyramids are an awe inspiring site and an incredible feat of engineering.

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