7 Wonders
The Taj Mahal changes colour through the day
Its white marble looks pink at dawn, brilliant white at noon and golden under moonlight, an effect of translucent Makrana marble reflecting the changing sky.
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Only one ancient wonder is still standing
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the sole survivor of the seven wonders of the ancient world. It was already more than 2,000 years old when the original list was compiled.
The Great Pyramid held a record for 3,800 years
At 146 metres, it was the tallest human-made structure on earth from about 2560 BC until Lincoln Cathedral's spire was completed around 1311 AD.
The pyramid is aligned almost perfectly to north
Its sides face the cardinal directions to within a fraction of a degree, an accuracy achieved without compasses, most likely by tracking stars circling the celestial pole.
Nobody has ever found the Hanging Gardens
Ancient writers described terraced gardens watered by machinery in Babylon, yet no Babylonian text or ruin confirms them. Some scholars argue the gardens were actually in Nineveh.
Watering the gardens needed serious engineering
Lifting river water up terraces in a desert climate would have required chain pumps or an Archimedes-style screw, technology described centuries before Archimedes was born.
The statue of Zeus was 12 metres of gold and ivory
Made by Phidias around 435 BC at Olympia, the seated Zeus nearly touched the temple ceiling. Visitors joked that if he stood, he would take the roof off.