WORLD WONDERS QUEST

New WORLD WONDERS

ANCIENT WORLD WONDER

TOTAL WONDERS VISITED SO FAR

Intro

So much of travel for me revolves around wanting to see it all – a never-ending mission to experience all the incredible destinations the world has to offer. But which ones to visit first? Since antiquity, official lists have been compiled celebrating the most extraordinary monuments produced up till that point, often following the “7 Wonders of the World” format.

Fun fact about me: In University, I studied Civil Engineering and Architecture, so combining my loves of travel and building design is a very natural thing. That’s why visiting the World Wonders has become such an important goal for me – the ultimate travel quest to experience the most iconic man-made structures on the planet.

The List & Map

While a great many Wonders lists have been produced over the years, the 2 most popular are The New 7 Wonders of the World and The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World.

New World: In 1997, the New7Wonders Foundation launched an initiative to select an updated list of 7 New World Wonders from among 200 existing monuments via online votes.
Ancient World: The earliest known Ancient Wonders list was compiled by Greek historian Herodotus. The oldest and only Ancient Wonder left standing today is the Great Pyramid of Giza, making it arguably the most impressive Wonder of all time.

So for my personal quest, I have decided to chase the remaining 7+1 Wonders of the New and Ancient World. Check out the map below, and click on the photos to hear the story of my visits to these extraordinary destinations.

Wonder	Location	Completed	Significance
Chichén Itzá	Yucatán Peninsula Mexico	600-1200 AD	Ancient Mayan City. The iconic Castillo pyramid is a functional calendar with 365 steps.
Colosseum	Rome Italy	80 AD	Largest ancient amphitheatre ever built and still standing after almost 2000yrs.
Cristo Redentor	Rio de Janeiro Brazil	1931 AD	Christian icon, the welcoming statue overlooking Rio symbolises hope, salvation, and redemption.
Great Pyramid of Giza	Al-Jīzah Egypt	2584 BC	Tallest structure on Earth for >4000yrs, tomb of Pharaoh Khufu. The oldest and only Ancient Wonder still standing.
Great Wall of China	China	650 AD (expanded 1368–1644)	Iconic defensive structure, and at 21.2km the longest wall in history.
Machu Picchu	Urubamba Province Peru	1450 AD	Sacred Inca sanctuary and extraordinary feat of mountainous agricultural engineering.
Petra	Ma’an Governorate Jordan	450 BC	Ancient Nabatean city and regional trading post, famous for its rock-cut architecture carved into sandstone cliffs.
Taj Mahal	Agra India	1648 AD	Built by the Mughal Emperor in memory of his wife, it is considered an architectural masterpiece and a monument to love.

The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World

A little history: The first known Wonders list is thought be based on the works of Greek historian Herodotus, known as the “Father of History”. He traveled extensively and wrote detailed accounts of seven great architectural achievements he had visited. The 7 Wonders of the Ancient World were first depicted in the 1572 series of engravings Octo Mundi Miracula by Flemish engraver Philips Galle. Ironically, this translates to the 8 wonders of the world, as the Colosseum of Rome was among the original engravings. While it is no longer included in the Ancient list, it is now a part of the New7Wonders list.

Octo Mundi Miracula’s Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (1572)

Timeline and map of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by CMG Lee (licence/Link)

Wonder	Location	Date Completed	Destruction
Great Pyramid of Giza	Al-Jīzah, Egypt	2584 BC	Still standing
Hanging Gardens of Babylon	Babylon, Iraq	600 BC	Earthquake after 1 AD
Temple of Artemis	Ephesus, Türkiye	550 BC	Fire in 226 AD
Statue of Zeus	Olympia, Greece	435 BC	Fire 450 AD
Mausoleum at Halicarnassus	Halicarnassus, Türkiye	351 BC	Earthquake in 1494 AD
Colossus of Rhodes	Rhodes, Greece	292 BC	Earthquake in 654 AD
Lighthouse at Alexandria	Alexandria, Egypt	280 BC	Earthquake in 1480 AD

Notable Wonders Lists

7 Wonders of the Middle ages
Seven Wonders of the Underwater World
7 Wonders of the Modern World
Seven Natural Wonders of the World
Seven Wonders of the Industrial World
The New Seven Wonders
New 7 Wonders of Nature
New 7 Wonders Cities

In the 1800s and 1900s, several writers built updated wonders lists inspired by the format of the original Ancient World list. The name “Middle Ages” is a bit misleading as the lists were made later and most of the wonders themselves are from earlier eras. Nevertheless, here are the wonders that typically made these lists.

Wonder	Location	Completed
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa	Alexandria, Egypt	150 AD
Colosseum	Rome, Italy	80 AD
Great Wall of China	China	650 AD (expanded 1368–1644)
Hagia Sophia	Istanbul, Türkiye	537 AD
Leaning Tower of Pisa	Pisa, Italy	1372 AD
Porcelain Tower of Nanjing	Nanjing, China	1431 (reconstructed 2015)
Stonehenge	Wiltshire, England	2300 BC

In 1989, American ocean preservation non-profit CEDAM International (Conservation, Education, Diving, Awareness and Marine Research) organised a panel to select the 7 underwater places most worthy of protection.

Wonder	Location
Barrier Reef	Belize
Deep Sea Vents	Ecuador
Galapagos Islands	Ecuador
The Great Barrier Reef	Australia
Lake Baikal	Russia
Northern Red Sea	Africa
Palau Reefs	Palau

Compiled by the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1994, it celebrates the “greatest civil engineering achievements of the 20th century”.

Wonder	Location	Completed
Channel Tunnel	The English Channel	1994
CN Tower	Toronto, Canada	1976
Empire State Building	New York City, USA	1931
Golden Gate Bridge	San Francisco, USA	1937
Itaipu Dam	Paraná River, Brazil/Paraguay	1984
Netherlands North Sea Protection Works	Holland	1997
Panama Canal	Isthmus of Panama	1914

While there are many lists compiling the greatest Natural Wonders on Earth, CNN put together the one below in 1997.

Wonder	Location
Auroras	Arctic and Antarctic regions
Grand Canyon	Arizona, USA
Great Barrier Reef	Queensland, Australia
Harbor of Rio de Janeiro	Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Mount Everest	Border of China & Nepal
Parícutin Volcano	Michoacán, Mexico
Victoria Falls	Border of Zimbabwe & Zambia

In 2003, British author Deborah Cadbury published his book Seven Wonders of the Industrial World. Later that year, the BBC adapted the book into a 7-part docudrama.

Wonder	Completed	Significance
SS Great Eastern	1858	Largest ship in the world at the time of its launch
Bell Rock Lighthouse	1810	World’s oldest working sea-washed lighthouse
Brooklyn Bridge	1883	Longest suspension bridge in the world when built
London sewerage system	1870	Revolutionized sanitation
First transcontinental railroad	1869	Hugely accelerated US westward expansion
Panama Canal	1914	Connects Atlantic and Pacific oceans
Hoover Dam	1936	Symbol of US ingenuity during Great Depression

In 2006, USA Today and Good Morning America collaborated to present a new list of 7 World Wonders. The Grand Canyon was later added as an 8th Wonder based on viewer feedback.

Wonder	Location	Completed
Potala Palace	Lhasa, Tibet	1649
Old City of Jerusalem	Jerusalem, Israel	1542
Polar Ice Caps	Earth’s polar regions	–
Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument	Hawaii, USA	2006
The Internet	Worldwide	1983
Mayan Ruins	Yucatán Peninsula, Mexico	250-950
Great Migration of Serengeti and Masai Mara	Kenya & Tanzania	–

Between 2007 and 2011, a 2nd Wonders list was organised by the New7Wonders foundation, with the selection process starting immediately after the announcement of the New 7 Wonders of the World. From over 440 candidates, 28 finalists were selected, followed by a public vote which yielded the following 7 winners.

Wonder	Location
Amazon Rainforest & River	Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana (France), Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela
Hạ Long Bay	Vietnam
Jeju Island	South Korea
Iguazú Falls	Argentina, Brazil
Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park	Philippines
Komodo Island (National Park)	Indonesia
Table Mountain (National Park)	South Africa

From 2007 to 2014, a 3rd Wonders list was organised by the New7Wonders foundation. A panel whittled down a list of 1200 cities to a shortlist of 28, which was then put to a public vote to identify the following top 7.

City	Country	Founded
Beirut	Lebanon	3000 BC
Doha	Qatar	1825
Durban	South Africa	1880
Havana	Cuba	1519
Kuala Lumpur	Malaysia	1859
La Paz	Bolivia	1548
Vigan	Philippines	1572

More Wonders I’ve visited

Hagia Sophia
Istanbul, Türkiye

Last visited in April, 2018
Known for its massive dome, in 537 AD it became the largest interior space on Earth.
Originally a Roman church, it was converted to a Mosque after the fall of Constantinople in 1453, and in 1935 became a museum before being reconverted into a mosque in 2020.
It retains today iconography embodying the rich Roman, Byzantine, and Ottoman heritage of Istanbul.

Angkor Wat
Siem Reap, Cambodia

Last visited in August, 2019
Temple complex literally meaning “City/Capital of Temples”
Covering an area of 1,626,000m², some believe it is the largest religious structure on Earth.
Completed in 1150 AD as a Hindu temple dedicated to Vishnu, it was gradually converted to a Buddhist temple.

Himeji Castle
Himeji, Japan

Last visited in December, 2023
Bright white and resembling a bird taking flight, it is known as the “White Heron Castle”
Built in 1333 as a hilltop fort, it is the finest example of Japanese castle architecture.

segrada familia
Barcelona, Spain

Last Visited in October, 2017
While construction began in 1882, it remains the largest unfinished Catholic church on Earth.
While rooted in Gothic architecture, its design is iconic, and unlike any other church.

Arc de Triomphe
Paris, France

Last Visited in November, 2017
Completed in 1836, it sits at the centre of a 12 avenue junction known as the “étoile” or “star”.
Its purpose is to honour French soldiers from the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars.

Eiffel Tower
Paris, France

Last Visited in July, 2018
Unveiled as the centrepiece of the 1889 World’s Fair, it is named after its engineer Gustave Eiffel.
Originally criticised, it is today an iconic symbol of Paris and the most visited monument on Earth.

Notre-Dame de Paris
Paris, France

Last Visited in November, 2017
Largely completed in 1260 but since modified over time, it is an iconic medieval Catholic cathedral
After a fire caused serious damage in 2019, Notre-Dame was repaired and reopened in 2024.

The Louvre
Paris, France

Last Visited in November, 2017
Established in 1793, it is arguably the most famous museum on Earth.
It houses some of the world’s most iconic works of art, including including the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo.

Persepolis
Marvdasht, Iran

Last visited in June, 2018
Established in 550 BC as the capital of the Achaemenid Empire, its name literally means “the Persian city”.
I was captured by Alexander the Great in 330 BC.

taipei 101
Taipei, Taiwan

Last visited in June, 2023
It was the world’s tallest building when it was completed in 2004.
101 floors above ground, it was designed to resemble a stalk of bamboo or a pagoda.

Burj Khalifa
Dubai, UAE

Last Visited in June, 2018
At a height of 829.8 m, it has been the world’s tallest structure since 2010.
The building is named after former UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

Big Ben
London, UK

Last Visited in January, 2025
Completed in 1859, it is considered a British cultural icon.
Big Ben is in fact the name of the bell, though it often lends its name to clock tower, renamed Elizabeth Tower in 2012.

Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco, USA

Last Visited in January, 2006
At 2.7km in length and 227m in height, it was the longest and tallest suspension bridge in the world when it opened in 1937.
Replacing a regular ferry service, it connects San Francisco to Marin County.

Moai Statues
Easter Island, Chile

Last Visited in May, 2014
These massive human-like figures were carved from stone by the Rapa Nui people between 1250 and 1500 AD.
They were likely erected to honour their ancestors and may have served as spiritual guardians.

Azadi Tower
Tehran, Iran

Last Visited in March, 2018
Translating to “Freedom Tower”, it was commissioned by Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran, to commemorate the 2,500^th year since the foundation of the Persian Empire (1971).
This landmark signals the west entrance to the city, and includes an underground museum.