Let’s shift a bit this week from home tourism and look beyond West Africa tourism destinations. We have been hearing about the word ‘ancient’ but what idea do we have about it? Le us discuss the ‘seven wonders of the ancient world.’

With so many outstanding modern monuments and the seven wonders of the Middle Ages and those of the modern world, the number of the people that know what the ‘seven wonders of the ancient world’ were are very minimal. One of those seven architectural wonders still remains.

Among the list are the pyramids of Egypt which were built from 2700 to 2500 BC; these ancient pyramids are situated at Giza in Egypt, on the western banks of the River Nile, near Cairo.

The Egyptian pyramids are probably the oldest members of the ancient wonders and they are the only surviving monuments also. Of the 10 different pyramids that were erected, the first three were held in the highest regard. The first pyramid was the largest and was constructed for the Pharaoh Khufu. It is known as the Great Pyramid and it rises around 450 feet off the ground and covers about 13 acres of land.

100,000 laborers, worked hard for twenty years to construct this mammoth monument. The Khufu Pyramid was finally erected with about 2.3 million blocks. According to some theories, crews of men pushed and dragged these humongous limestone blocks up ramps that were mud-slicked in order to construct these royal tombs. Many scholars also believe that the pyramid shape was considered by the ancient Egyptians to be an important religious sign.

Perhaps, in a way it symbolized the slanting rays of the sun, which was worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. Others have speculated that these slanting slopes of the pyramids were actually intended to aid the soul of the departed king climbs easily towards the sky to join the gods.

The second is the Pharos (Lighthouse) of Alexandria. Built in 270 BC, this ancient lighthouse is located on the ancient island of Pharos, which is in the harbor of Alexandria in Egypt. On its completion, this ancient lighthouse, which was estimated to have risen about 400 feet off the ground, was said to be the tallest structure on the planet at that time.

Designed by the Greek architect, Sostratus, this monument was built during the reign of King Ptolemy II. This famous Pharos was said to have guided sailors into the harbor for more than 1,500 years and was also the last of all the six wonders to have disappeared. It was toppled down by a number of earthquakes in the 14th century.

The lighthouse was said to have been constructed in three different stages. Right at the top, a mirror was strategically placed to reflect the sunlight during the day. And during the night, a fire was kept burning to guide the sailors. This structure became so famous that the term ‘pharos’ later came to mean lighthouse in Spanish, Italian and French. In the year 1196, a team of divers claimed to have come across the ruins of this fabled Pharos. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon is the third.

This was built in 600 BC; the hanging gardens were situated in Babylon, which was very close to modern-day Baghdad in Iraq. Though some people say that it is only a fable, these gardens were said to have been planted on a brick terrace by King Nebuchadnezzar II for one of his wives.

According to records made by an ancient Babylonian priest, these gardens were roughly 400 feet square and hung approximately 75 feet off the ground. According to him, slaves would work in shifts in order to turn screws so as to lift water from the Euphrates River for irrigating the trees, flowers and shrubs of the garden.

to be continued