New7Wonders of the World

The New 7 Wonders of the World was a campaign started in 2000 to choose Wonders of the World from a selection of 200 existing monuments.[1] The popularity poll via free Web-based voting and small amounts of telephone voting was led by Canadian-Swiss Bernard Weber and organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation (N7W) based in Zurich, Switzerland, with winners announced on 7 July 2007 in Lisbon, at Estádio da Luz.[2][3][4][5] The poll was considered unscientific partly because it was possible for people to cast multiple votes.[6] According to John Zogby, founder and current President/CEO of the Utica, New York-based polling organization Zogby International, New 7 Wonders Foundation drove "the largest poll on record".[4]

This article is about the New 7 Wonders Foundation list. For other uses, see Wonders of the World.
From left to right, top to bottom: Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Petra, the Taj Mahal, and the Colosseum

The program drew a wide range of official reactions. Some countries touted their finalist and tried to get more votes cast for it, while others downplayed or criticized the contest.[4][6] After supporting the New 7 Wonders Foundation at the beginning of the campaign by providing advice on nominee selection, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), by its bylaws having to record all and give equal status to world heritage sites, distanced itself from the undertaking in 2001 and again in 2007.[7][8]

The seven winners were chosen from 21 candidates, which had been whittled down from 77 choices by a panel in 2006.

The New 7 Wonders Foundation, established in 2001, relied on private donations and the sale of broadcast rights and received no public funding.[9] After the final announcement, New 7 Wonders said it did not earn anything from the exercise and barely recovered its investment.[10] Although N7W describes itself as a not-for-profit organization, the company behind it—the New Open World Corporation (NOWC)—is a commercial business. All licensing and sponsorship money is paid to NOWC.

The foundation ran two subsequent programs: New 7 Wonders of Nature, the subject of voting until 2011, and New7Wonders Cities, which ended in 2014.

The campaigns and the organization are sometimes spelled as multiple words and sometimes as a single word.

Winners
Location of the New 7 Wonders winners

The Great Pyramid of Giza, largest and oldest of the three pyramids at the Giza Necropolis in Egypt and the only surviving of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, was granted honorary status.

Wonder Location Image Year
Giza Pyramids
(honorary status)		Giza Necropolis, Egypt2560 BC
Great Wall of ChinaChina 700 BC
PetraMa'an, Jordan312 BC
ColosseumRome, ItalyAD 80
Chichén ItzáYucatán, MexicoAD 600
Machu PicchuCuzco Region, PeruAD 1450
Taj MahalAgra, IndiaAD 1643
Christ the RedeemerRio de Janeiro, BrazilAD 1931

Reactions

United Nations

In 2007, the New 7 Wonders Foundation contracted a partnership with the United Nations in recognition of the efforts to promote the UN's Millennium Development Goals.[11]

However, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), in a press release on June 20, 2007, reaffirmed that it has no link with the initiative. The press release concluded:[8]

There is no comparison between Mr. Weber's mediatized campaign and the scientific and educational work resulting from the inscription of sites on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The list of the 8 New Wonders of the World will be the result of a private undertaking, reflecting only the opinions of those with access to the Internet and not the entire world. This initiative cannot, in any significant and sustainable manner, contribute to the preservation of sites elected by this public.

— UNESCO

Brazil

In Brazil there was a campaign Vote no Cristo (Vote for the Christ) which had the support of private companies, namely telecommunications operators that stopped charging voters to make telephone calls and SMS messages to vote.[12] Additionally, leading corporate sponsors including Banco Bradesco and Rede Globo spent millions of reais in the effort to have the statue voted into the top seven.[4] Newsweek reports the campaign was so pervasive that:[4]

One morning in June, Rio de Janeiro residents awoke to a beeping text message on their cell phones: "Press 4916 and vote for Christ. It's free!" The same pitch had been popping up all over the city since late January—flashing across an electronic screen every time city-dwellers swiped their transit cards on city buses and echoing on TV infomercials that featured a reality-show celebrity posing next to the city's trademark Christ the Redeemer statue.

— Elizabeth Dwoskin, Newsweek

According to an article in Newsweek, around 10 million Brazilians had voted in the contest by early July.[4] This number is estimated as the New 7 Wonders Foundation never released such details about the campaign. An airplane message, with a huge inscription "4916 VOTE FOR CHRIST" flew in Rio de Janeiro for a month.

Peru

An intensive campaign led by the Peruvian Ministry of Commerce and Tourism in Peru had a great impact in the media and consequently, Peruvian people voted massively for its national wonder. The announcement of the new World Wonders generated great expectations and the election of Machu Picchu was celebrated nationwide.

Chile

The Chilean representative for Easter Island's Moais, Alberto Hortus, said Weber gave him a letter saying that the Moais had finished eighth and were morally one of the New 7 Wonders. Hortus said he was the only participant to receive such an apology.[13]

India

A campaign to publicize the Taj Mahal in India gathered speed and it reached a climax in July 2007 with news channels, radio stations, and many celebrities asking people to vote for the Taj Mahal.

It was made by the Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, in memorial of his wife Mumtaz Mahal, who died on 16 June 1631. Building commenced about 1632. More than 20,000 workers were employed from India, Persia, the Ottoman Empire, and Europe to complete the mausoleum itself by about 1638–39; the adjunct buildings were finished by 1643, and decoration work continued until at least 1647. In total, construction of the 42-acre (17-hectare) complex spanned 22 years.

The materials were brought to made it from all over India and central Asia and white Makrana marble from Jodhpur, India. Precious stones for the inlay came from Baghdad, Punjab, Egypt, Russia, Golconda, China, Afghanistan, Ceylon, Indian Ocean and Persia. The unique Mughal style combines elements and styles of Persian, Central Asian and Islamic architecture.

The Taj Mahal was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983 for being "the jewel of Muslim art in India and one of the universally admired masterpieces of the world's heritage". It is regarded by many as the best example of Mughal architecture. In 2007, it was declared a winner of the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Jordan

Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan joined the campaign to back Petra, Jordan's national treasure.[4]

Mexico

There was a campaign on the news programs to encourage people to vote for Chichen Itzá.

Other finalists

The other 13 finalists,[14] chronologically were:

Wonder Location Image Year
StonehengeAmesbury, United Kingdom2400 BC
Acropolis of AthensAthens, Greece447 BC
Hagia Sophiaİstanbul, Turkey537
Angkor WatAngkor, Cambodia1113
Moai StatuesEaster Island, Chile1250
TimbuktuTimbuktu, Mali1327
AlhambraGranada, Spain1333
Kremlin and Red SquareMoscow, Russia1561
Kiyomizu-deraKyoto, Japan1633
NeuschwansteinFüssen, Germany1869
Statue of LibertyNew York City, United States1886
Eiffel TowerParis, France1887
Sydney Opera HouseSydney, Australia1973

References
  1. "How the New 7 Wonders movement all began – World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2013-03-11.
  2. New7Wonders FAQ
  3. "The project founder Bernard Weber - A Short History - World of New 7 Wonders". World of New 7 Wonders. 29 March 2011.
  4. Dwoskin, Elizabeth (2007-07-09). "Vote for Christ". Newsweek. ISSN 0028-9604. Archived from the original on 2008-05-03. postscript was limited to one vote for seven monuments per person/identity, but multiple voting was possible through telephone.
  5. "Voting Analysis". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-03-26.
  6. The Seven Wonders of the World, 2.0, Los Angeles Times, 2007-07-07
  7. "New 7 Wonders and UNESCO: Separate organizations, common goals". World of New 7 Wonders. 8 June 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  8. "UNESCO confirms that it is not involved in the "New 7 Wonders of the World" campaign". UNESCO. July 9, 2007. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  9. "Interesting questions and answers". World of New 7 Wonders. Archived from the original on 2013-12-11.
  10. Oh Taj! 7 wonders won’t get campaign money, indianexpress.com, 2007-07-22 Archived August 9, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  11. New7Wonders: "United Nations"
  12. "Sete Maravilhas: Brasil comemora eleição de Cristo Redent" (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2007-07-10.
  13. "Líder pascuense furioso Porque le dieron a la Isla un Triunfo moral" Las Últimas Noticias July 10, 2007 Archived September 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  14. "New 7 Wonders of the World". World of New 7 Wonders.
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