Seven Wonders: The New List

Once called the "long walls," the Great Wall extends over 5,500 miles, from the Yellow Sea in the east to the Taklamakan Desert in the West. It was so extensive, in fact, that new segments are still being revealed.

Built for transportation and customs control as much as for defense, the walls were joined into a unified system under the Qin Dynasty in the 3rd century BC, but most of the present-day remains were constructed during the Ming Dynasty in the 14th century AD.

Modern travelers can find the most iconic sections of restored wall about two hours from Beijing.

Image: Adapted from  William Christen  (Unsplash).

Meaning “crown of the palace,” this mausoleum was commissioned by Shah Jahan for his late Persian wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

The structure is built of white marble, capped with an onion-shaped dome called an "amrud," and surrounded by four, 130-foot-tall (40 meter) minarets. It is considered the finest example of Islamic architecture in India.

Visitors can enjoy the stucco calligraphic decorations while exploring a garden complex of nearly 17 hectares. 

Image: Adapted from  Joel Godwin  (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Fusing Hellenistic architecture with rock-cut construction, the carved stone structure known as the Khasneh was made popular in Stephen Spielberg’s Indiana Jones films.

But the Khasneh is only one part of the much vaster city of Petra, the capital of the Nabataean civilization. A stop along the ancient Silk Road, this caravan city thrived as a vital trading crossroads between Arabia, Egypt, and Syria.

A recent push to document Petra using 360 degree video technologies has empowered modern travelers to visit the site virtually.

Image: Adapted from  Corrado Lamberti  (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Built by the Flavian Dynasty's Emperor Vespasian, the Colosseum takes its modern name from the statue of a colossus (modeled after the Emperor Nero) that once stood nearby.

Known in antiquity as the Flavian Amphitheater, the oval-shape of the arena was a Roman innovation achieved by placing two semicircular theaters back-to-back.

Thanks to the success of modern restorations, visitors are now permitted to tour the subterranean hypogeum, or take in the vistas of the uppermost tiers.

Image: Adapted from  Diliff  (CC BY-SA 2.5).

DNA analysis has shown that the diversity of this Mesoamerican city’s population was unusually cosmopolitan for its time.

Chichen-Itza's name is thought to mean “at the mouth of the well of the Itza,” a reference to a powerful ruling clan. The city exhibits a trove of architectural works, reflecting its renown as one of the largest cities of the Maya civilization before its decline in the 13th century.

While the pyramid Temple of Kukulkan is one masterpiece, visitors can also explore the Temple of the Warriors and the Great Ball Court, among other attractions. 

Image: Adapted from  Pixabay  (CC0).

Meaning “old peak” in Quechua, this Incan estate is believed to have been built for the Emperor Pachacuti.

At its height, Machu Picchu consisted of 200 buildings, 750 servants, and 32,000 hectares of hillside. Abandoned within a century of its construction, however, the site was never discovered by Spanish Conquistadores and was well preserved. In 1911, historian Hiram Bingham revealed the sanctuary to the outside world, and now Machu Picchu welcomes up to 2,500 visitors per day. 

Image: Adapted from  Chensiyuan  (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Designed by Brazilian engineer Heitor da Silva Costa and crafted by French sculptor Paul Landowski, Rio's "Cristo Redentor" towers 124 feet (38 meters) above the 2,300-foot (701 meter) Corcovado mountain. The figure's arms span 92 feet (28 meters) wide in a gesture of peace. Yet measurements alone do not do the monument justice—visitors marvel at the sweeping views of Rio as they ride the cable car up to the iconic statue. 

Image: Adapted from  Robert Nyman  (Unsplash).