The Great Wall of China

The Great Wall of China was built over 2,000 years ago, by Qin Shi Huangdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin (Ch'in) Dynasty (221 B.C - 206 B.C.). In Chinese the wall is called "Wan-Li Qang-Qeng" 

After subjugating and uniting China from seven Warring States, the emperor connected and extended four old fortification walls along the north of China that originated about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes north of China (the Huns). Signal fires from the Wall provided early warning of an attack.

The Great Wall is one of the largest building construction projects ever completed. It stretches across the mountains of northern China, winding north and northwest of Beijing. It is constructed of masonry, rocks and packed-earth. It was over 5,000 km (=10,000 Li) long. Its thickness ranged from about 4.5 to 9 meters (15 to 30 feet) and was up to 7.5 meters (25 feet) tall.

During the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the Great Wall was enlarged to 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles) and renovated over a 200 year period, with watch-towers and cannons added. 

Photo about the Christ the Redeemer Statue

The Christ the Redeemer Statue

Christ the Redeemer (Portuguese: Cristo Redentor) is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the second largest Art Deco statue in the world. It is 39.6 metres (130 ft) tall, including its 9.5 metres (31 ft) pedestal, and 30 metres (98 ft) wide. It weighs 635 tonnes (625 long,700 short tons), and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. A symbol of Christianity, the statue has become an icon of Rio and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931.

Photo about the Lighthouse of Alexandria

The Lighthouse at Alexandria

The Lighthouse at Alexandria was built in 279 B.C. on the small island of Pharos by Sostratus of Cnidus for Ptolemy II. The lighthouse was over 400 feet high. The remains of this imposing structure could still be seen in 1480, when the Mamluk ruler Qa'it Bay constructed a fort on the exact site of the lighthouse.

The Lighthouse of Alexandria, also known as the Pharos of Alexandria, was a tower built between 280 and 247 BC on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt. Its purpose was to guide sailors into the harbour at night time. 


The lighthouse was the idea of Ptolemy Soter, who took over command of Egypt after the death of Alexander the Great. He ordered construction began in 290 B.C. The project was so daunting that it was completed after his death, by his son Ptolemy Philadelphus. The main architect for the project was a man named Sostratus. Detailed calculations for the project were completed at the famed Library of Alexandria.


The Lighthouse was a huge building that had three parts, one built right on top of another. The lowest part was square and was 183.4 feet high. The middle was octagonal in shape and was 90 feet high. The highest part was a 24-foot-high cylinder. The total height, including the base, was 384 feet, which would be a 40-story building in modern times.


Inside the base was a cylinder that stretched from bottom to top and carried fuel needed to light the fire that burned from the top of the structure. This fire was the beacon during the night. In the daytime, a mirror reflected sunlight and served as the same sort of beacon. (A legend says also that the mirror could used to burn enemy ships before they could sail into the harbor.)

Photo about the Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes

The Colossus of Rhodes stands over 100 feet tall, this statue of the Greek sun god was completed by the sculptor Chares in 280 B.C. The Colossus stood with one hand shielding its eyes looking over the harbor of the Greek island.

The Colossus of Rhodes was a statue of the Greek Titan Helios, erected in the city of Rhodes on the Greek island of Rhodes by Chares of Lindos between 292 and 280 BC. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was constructed to celebrate Rhodes' victory over the ruler of Cyprus, Antigonus I Monophthalmus, who unsuccessfully besieged Rhodes in 305 BC.

The statue is made of bronze and based on marble block, the statue was 32 meters (105 feet) heigh from the top of the head to the feets, that is to say 14 meters (46 feet) less than the statue of liberty in New York. The heigh enabled the statue to be visible by the ships approching to the port. In his raised arm, the sun god held a torch while his other arm was pressed on a lance. Contrary to the illustrations we usually find, ships were not passing under the colossesus's legs to enter in the wearing of Rhodes. It was technically impossible that the statue had its legs split.

The statue had been partialy destroyed in 225 BC after a earthquake. Then, in 653 AC, all the material (more than 13 tons of bronze and nearly 7 tons of iron, according to Philon) is taken by an arab expedition to be sold to a jewish merchant of Ephesea. The statue has been raised at the entry of the port for only 65 years.