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THE NEW SEVEN WONDERS....
(articles from The Times and Sunday Times)

Chichen Itza (Yucatan, Mexico)
Christ Redeemer (Rio de Janiero)
Colosseum (Rome)
Great Wall (China)
Machu Picchu (Peru)
Petra (Jordan)
Taj Mahal (Agra, India)

...AND THE REMAINING ORIGINAL

Pyramids of Giza (Egypt)

HISTORY was rewritten last night after about 100m people voted to name the seven new wonders of the world.

India’s Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, Jordan’s Petra, Brazil’s statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza pyramid and the Colosseum in Rome have now replaced the original wonders, most of which have long since vanished into the mists of time.

Greece’s Acropolis failed to make the final cut, but the Great Pyramid of Giza, the only one of the original wonders ancient of the world still standing, was assured of retaining its status in addition to the new seven after indignant Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace they had to compete.

The winners were announced at a televised ceremony in Lisbon’s Stadium of Light attended by the British actor Sir Ben Kingsley and US actress Hillary Swank.

A private Swiss foundation launched the campaign in 1999. Almost 200 nominations were narrowed to a shortlist. The poll took place over the past six years but gathered pace only in recent months when the website was inundated by tens of millions of votes.

Money raised by the New Seven Wonders organisation will be used to recreate the giant statues of Buddha destroyed by the Taliban in Afghanistan.

“We want people to look at the world in a different way and appreciate their culture and different cultures,” said spokeswoman Tia Viering.

Some countries went to great lengths to boost their candidates’ chances of winning, including printing bus tickets in Brazil urging passengers to vote, and an Indian singer dedicating a song to the Taj Mahal. In May, China’s Academy of the Great Wall encouraged Chinese voters to flood the competition website.

Others were less enthusiastic. Unesco dismissed the campaign as “neither democratic nor scientific”.

The other original wonders, all since destroyed, were the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the statue of Zeus at Olympia, the temple of Artemis at Ephesus, the mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes and the lighthouse of Alexandria.

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