The all new seven wonders of the world

Forget the poll - these are the real seven wonders
Forget the poll - these are the real seven wonders
By Simon Calder, Travel Editor
Published: 07 July 2007
Independent UK

Vote early, vote often: that is the message from the New 7 Wonders Foundation, which has chosen today to reveal the 21st-century world's choice of the seven finest works of man. But the polling arrangements are so flawed that they make even Eurovision Song Contest judges look objective.

Of the original Seven Wonders of the ancient world, only one remains: the Pyramids at Giza, near Cairo. So to make up for the disappearance of the one-time wonders, a self-styled Swiss "adventurer" named Bernard Weber founded a project to fill the void.

Mr Weber launched the project, which, appropriately enough has cost around £7m, in 2000. He "long-listed" 77 sites, then recruited an impressive panel - led by a former Unesco director general - to shortlist 21 structures that are "human-built and in an acceptable state of preservation".

The finalists range from Stonehenge to the Sydney Opera House, and can best be summed up as an impressive, if motley, selection of tourist attractions.

Kremlin/St Basil's, for example, looks like an attempt to include a plausible "wonder" in the world's largest country in the form of a walled palace complex and a nearby place of worship.

The Great Wall of China is another dubious contender, since several barriers (now in various states of disrepair) were built in various locations along the frontier with Mongolia. And the Sydney Opera House could be seen as an over-ambitious white elephant were it not for its position on one of the world's greatest harbours.

The Egyptian government, custodian of the only surviving ancient wonder, refused to co-operate with the New 7 Wonders project - some say because of fears of debasing a wondrous currency. That did not stop Mr Weber burying a certificate in the sand near the Pyramids of Giza.

Next, the founder organised "the first-ever global vote" to pick the final seven. Any world citizen could vote up to midnight last night by dialling a phone number in Britain or, strangely, Liechtenstein; by sending a text message or by voting online.

Unlike most polls, however, there was no limit to the number of times one could express a preference. Predictably, tourism promotion bodies and even governments soon began lobbying campaigns.

Mexico, one of the most populous nations in Latin America, has been urging its citizens to cast multiple votes for the Mayan city of Chichen Itza. But the government of China, whose people in theory comprise the biggest block vote on the planet, has apparently found it difficult to stir feelings and get the vote out.

Modest population - or lack of local interest - means some of the most deserving candidates are likely to be eliminated in this heritage version of Fame Academy: they include the Alhambra in Granada, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, and the Moai statues of Easter Island. The top seven - which will not be graded - are to be announced tonight at 8.30pm at a ceremony in Lisbon, in the Stadium of Light (which is not on the shortlist).

The bookmaker William Hill last night quoted odds of 1/2 for the Acropolis being included in the septet, and evens for the Taj Mahal. Odds of 3/1 were offered for Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro, while Stonehenge was an outsider at 5/1. Whatever the outcome, one certainty is that the term "eighth wonder of the world" will need to be replaced as one of the most over-used clichés in the brochure.

Simon Calder's alternative choice

* THE 'BEEHIVE', SUSSEX

When Gatwick airport opened in 1936, it boasted the world's first fully integrated air terminal. More than just a beautiful piece of 1930s architecture, the circular structure set the pattern for future airports.

* BURJ AL ARAB, DUBAI

For a hotel to feature as an icon on car registration plates, it must be spectacular in shape and scale. This vast yet delicate sail rises 321m from a man-made island in the Gulf.

* PANAMA CANAL, PANAMA

The "Big Ditch" linking the Atlantic and Pacific across the continental divide symbolises the heroic aspirations of the early 20th century.

* PORTMEIRION, WALES

Sir Clough Williams-Ellis was a visionary. On a wooded hillside by the water's edge in Wales he created "a home for fallen buildings", from castellated, pastel cottages to an entire Gothic portico.

* SAGRADA FAMILIA, BARCELONA

It may be the most enduring building site in Europe, but the most inspired creation of the great Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi still attracts 6,000 visitors a day. Gaudi worked on this soaring temple for four decades, until he died. Eighty-one years on, the project is still at least 20 years from completion.

* THE STRIP, LAS VEGAS

Paris? Venice? Luxor? New York? You find them all strung out along the main street of Nevada's largest city. This is the one place on earth where I have to ask for directions back to real life.

* THE VATICAN

This tiny but awesomely powerful city-state combines the biggest church in Christendom, St Peter's Basilica, with the Papal Palace - best known for the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo's ceiling.

SHORTLIST FOR NEW 7 WONDERS

Acropolis, Athens, Greece

Alhambra, Granada, Spain

Angkor Wat, Cambodia

Chichen Itza, Yucatan Peninsular, Mexico

Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Colosseum, Rome, Italy

Easter Island Statues, Easter Island

Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Great Wall, China

Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey

Kiyomizu Temple, Kyoto, Japan

Kremlin/St. Basil, Moscow, Russia

Machu Picchu, Urubamba Valley, Peru

Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

Petra, Jordan

Pyramids of Giza, Egypt

Statue of Liberty, New York, USA

Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England

Sydney Opera House, Australia

Taj Mahal, India

Timbuktu, Mali