Seven Wonders of the New World: A Captivating Guide to the Great Wall of China, Colosseum, Petra, Christ the Redeemer, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, and Chichén Itzá

by Captivating History

Did you know that Shah Jahan once planned to build another Taj Mahal in his empire?

The Taj Mahal is renowned for its exceptional architecture that infuses elements from various influences around the world, including the magnificence of Mughal, Persian, and Islamic architectural styles.

Shah Jahan, the reigning emperor of the Mughal Empire, had been plagued with sadness following the death of his beloved wife, Mumtaz Mahal. And so, as a parting gift to her, the mourning emperor commissioned the construction of a grand mausoleum made of white marble.

Upon completion, the Taj Mahal stood on the banks of the Yamuna River, impressing those who gazed at its marvelous façade glimmering under the bright sun. A reflective pool enhanced its perfections, but it was the mausoleum’s symmetrical design that captivated many. The symmetry could be seen in each corner of the complex except for Mumtaz Mahal’s extravagant tomb chamber—the symmetrical design was broken when Shah Jahan’s cenotaph was added years later. Some said it was intentional, while others claimed Shah Jahan never intended to be buried beside his wife. Legend has it that the emperor was planning to build another mausoleum for himself that mirrored the Taj Mahal; it was to be placed across from the Taj Mahal and made of black marble. However, whether this is true remains a debate. Ancient sources contradict each other, which can be confusing for curious readers.

But that is about to change. With this all-new history book, you can easily explore the gripping events that led to the construction of the Seven Wonders of the New World.

Here’s just a small fraction of what you’ll
• The dark side of the construction of the Great Wall of China
• The different types of performances once held in the Colosseum
• The rediscovery of Machu Picchu and its mistaken identity
• The mysteries behind Chichén Itzá’s temples
• How the Nabateans hand-carved their city out of the cliffs
• How the Taj Mahal changes colors during the day
• How Christ the Redeemer was installed on the mountain
• And much, much more!

Scroll up and click the “add to cart” button to learn more about the Seven Wonders of the New World!

Genres: History

151 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 14, 2023

Reviews

[Jamie Bee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bizarre Premise

I have read and reviewed a fair number of books by this history publisher, and in general I like them because I find them well done. However, as a fan of the true seven wonders of the ancient world, I find myself somewhat perplexed by the concept and execution of this book. Unlike the concept of the seven wonders of the ancient world, the concept of the same for the new world is a bit more fuzzy, and hence, could be more open to interpretation. However, I think the publishers of this book took that too far. When you hear the term “new world” in the context of history, what do you think of? As a student of history and an American, I think of the Americas as perceived by the Europeans. To the Europeans, when these western continents were discovered, the Americas were the “new world.” So how does it make any sense to include places in China, the Middle East, India, and ancient Rome in a book supposedly about the new world? I don't see how anyone could conceive of any of these places being the “new world.” In fact, most are very decidedly “old world” places, with complex civilizations that predate ancient European cultures (except for the one that actually IS an ancient European one and the three that are in South America). Only one is truly “new world”; the other two that are physically in the new world continents are from ancient civilizations themselves. The introduction to this book has a similar confusion, as the publisher spends more time discussing Herodotus and the seven wonders of the ancient world rather than this book's supposed topic, which only merits a few sentences in the end paragraph. Unless you want to learn more about the specific places mentioned, I don't recommend this book.

I received a free digital copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.

[CelticMoonGoddess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading about the Seven Wonders of the New World in this lovely set of stories around each of the Wonders.
Two chapters per Wonder was a lovely idea as one is more factual with interesting and informative details so enjoyable, but the other chapter I found more fascinating and enjoyable as brought the Wonders more to life in a more personal story behind the Wonders of a legend, story and aspect of what was happening for people at the time of the creation of the Wonder making them more accessible, interesting and drawing you more into why they were constructed, how they were constructed and how they influenced the people of the day when they were constructed/created.
A really enjoyable read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book to read, and I learned a great deal about the seven wonders of the new world. I had taken courses in school covering the topics but as I read this book, I learned so much more and have a greater understanding of them. The book is well written with a format that is easy to follow and makes a great book to have for reference.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Joseph Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful book that illustrates the incredible artistic, engineering and architectural talents of our ancient ancestors.

[Debbie Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review. I liked learning about the stories behind these wonders of the new world.

[Hahhima · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krótkie wprowadzenie do historii powstania siedmiu cudów współczesnego świata. O ile Wielki Mur, Koloseum, Statuę Chrystusa Zbawiciela, Taj Mahal, Maccu Piccu, Chichen Itza kojarzymy, o tyle całkiem wypada nam z głowy Petra w Jordanii, w której przecież kręcono "Indianę Jones i ostatnią krucjatę".

[Beverly Whitt · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first glance, I didn't like the layout of the book. I thought I much preferred the layout of Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Every chapter in this book taught me something new. Some of the things I learned from this book was that the Great Wall of China wasn't all built at once. I never knew that. I also learned that I didn't know as much about the Roman Gladiator games as I thought I did. It was also interesting to learn about the process that the Christ the Redeemer statue went through on its way to what it is today.

Overall, this was a very interesting read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book to read, and I learned a great deal about the seven wonders of the new world. I had taken courses in school covering the topics but as I read this book, I learned so much more and have a greater understanding of them. The book is well written with a format that is easy to follow and makes a great book to have for reference.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Merry Jelks-Emmanuel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fascinating book to read, and I learned a great deal about the seven wonders of the new world. I had taken courses in school covering the topics but as I read this book, I learned so much more and have a greater understanding of them. The book is well written with a format that is easy to follow and makes a great book to have for reference.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Faith Moreno-Peace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Easy to follow and understand. The comparison between them and now really helps to follow it. My only complaint :more pictures would be nice. But having the background on the place made it a much better read.