Ancient Wonders of the World
1. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon.
Legend claims the hanging gardens were constructed by Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife, Queen Amytis, to remind her of the fertile hills and valleys of her native home. We’re not quite sure if The Hanging Gardens of Babylon ever actually existed, but here’s how they might look if we built them today.
2. Statue of Zeus at Olympia
The Statue of Zeus at Olympia was a giant statue of the Greek god Zeus, sitting around 42 feet tall and crafted from gold, ebony and precious stones.
3. The Parthenon
This image shows the Parthenon at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece. The site was a former temple dedicated to the goddess, Athena. Ruins of the Parthenon remain, but the site today is nowhere near its former glory.
4. The Colossus of Rhodes
The Colossus of Rhodes is one of official Seven Ancient Wonders of the World and was located on the Greek island of Rhodes. The statue depicted the Greek God of the Sun, Helios, and was built to commemorate Rhodes’ victory over Cyprus.
5. Mausoleum at Halicarnassus
The Mausoleum of Halicanassus was a large tomb built between 353 and 350 BC in present day Bodrum, Turkey. Created to house the remains of Mausolus, a satrap of the Persian Empire, and his family, the tomb was approximately 150 feet tall and ruins remain today.
6. The Sphinx
The Sphinx is the largest monolith statue in the world, standing at 66 feet tall and 241 feet long. The nose of the Sphinx is famously broken, but this image gives you a good idea of what it may look like if it was restored to its former glory.
7. The Temple of Artemis
The Temple of Artemis was a large temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Artemis located in modern day Turkey. The final version of the temple included 127 columns, was 450 feet long, 225 feet wide and 60 feet tall.
Ruins of the temple are still visible today.
8. Mountain City of Petra
Petra is an ancient city carved into mountains in Southern Jordan.
Petra still exists today and is Jordan’s most popular tourist destination, but fortunately there isn’t a major highway running through it – yet. The area is under threat from unsustainable tourism, despite the fact that UNESCO describes Petra as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage.”
9. Taqi ad-Din Observatory
The Taqi ad-Din observatory was the largest astronomical observatory built in the Islamic world. It was constructed in Istanbul in 1577, but only stood for three years until it was eventually destroyed by opponents of astronomy.
10. The Tower of Babel
The Tower of Babel was mentioned in the Book of Genesis as a structure whose top “reached towards the heavens”. The artist clearly took some artistic freedom here, but if the tower were created true to its description, it would shame the modern skyscrapers of the world today.
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