CAIRO: The new edition of the Seven Wonders of the World list was declared on July 7 at 7 pm, in Benfica Stadium, Lisbon after over 100 million people from all over the world voted online or by phone.
The new seven wonders, as announced by hosts Bipasha Basu, Hilary Swank and Ben Kingsley, are The Great Wall of China, Jordan’s Petra, The Statue of Christ Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Chichen Itz, The Colosseum and The Taj Mahal.
Founder and President of the New7Wonders foundation, Bernard Weber, said in a statement, “The people of the world have created global memory, seven things that everyone will remember.
The Pyramids in Giza, included in the previous list of the Seven Wonders of the World, were removed from the list of 21 nominees but were named an honorary wonder, after Egyptian officials expressed anger at being including in the contest. The Pyramids are the only lasting monument from the ancient seven wonders.
Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, had called the campaign a “publicity stunt. The Pyramids are “the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that still exists… it s ridiculous, they don t need to be put to a vote, he told AFP.
Egyptian Tourism Federation officials refused to comment on the subject. It has already been over-played in the media in the past few months, one official told The Daily Star Egypt in a telephone interview.
On the other hand, Jordan expects the choice of its centuries-old Petra ruins among the seven new world wonders to double the number of tourists to the site and boost its economy, Faruq Hadidi, the secretary general of Jordan s tourism ministry told AFP.
The New7Wonders foundation also announced its up-coming campaign; The New7Wonders of Nature, which celebrates the natural heritage and will be voted on following the same procedure as the last one.
