None of these places made the list of Seven Wonders of the World, new or old. That doesn’t mean they don’t have historical importance. We looked at locations all over the world to determine which others should be considered for our own list of World Wonders and worthy of a bucket list destination of global “must sees.”
Acropolis
Greece certainly has its share of acropolises, but the Acropolis of Athens stands on the name alone. The flat-topped rock sits 490 feet above sea level in Athens. The site contains 21 buildings, including the Parthenon, the temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena.
Alhambra
This Moorish palace constructed in Alhambra in the mid-14th century sits southeast of Granada in Spain. The Moors built the palace for the last Muslim Emirs in Spain, and the Alhambra was later used by the Catholic monarchs. This site contains some of the most significant Islamic architecture in Europe.
Angkor Wat
This temple complex in Angkor, Cambodia served as the home for King Suryavarman II in the early 12th century. Angkor Wat is the world’s largest religious building with a moat and 2.2 mile wall surrounding the three rectangular galleries that rise above each other.
Eiffel Tower
Gustave Eiffel built the 1,063-foot high iron lattice tower on the Champs de Mars in Paris for the 1889 World’s Fair. Since then, the Eiffel Tower has been the most-visited paid monument in the world. Visitors have three levels where they can view the City of Lights. The Eiffel Tower is the tallest building in Paris and second tallest in France.
Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya)
Famous for its massive dome, Hagia Sophia (Ayasofya) in Istanbul, Turkey, is considered by many to epitomize Byzantine architecture. Built between 532 and 537, the structure stood as the largest cathedral in the world for nearly 1,000 years.
Kiyomizu-dera
This independent Buddhist temple sits in Kyoto, Japan. The temple dates back to 798, but the present buildings were constructed in 1633. Not a single nail was used in the whole structure.
Moai
The human figure monoliths on Easter Island, Chile were carved from rock between 1250 and 1500. The site contains 887 statues transported to the site. The tallest, called Paro, stands 33 feet high and weighs 75 tons. Believe it or not, a shorter moai named Ahu Tongariki weighs 86 tons, while an unfinished sculpture would have measured 69 feet and weighed 270 tons.
Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein)
This 19th century Gothic Revival palace sits on a hill above Hohenschwangau in Bavaria, Germany. Ludwig II of Bavaria commissioned the retreat as an homage to Richard Wagner. Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloss Neuschwanstein) opened to the public in 1886 and served as the inspiration for Disneyland’s Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Red Square (Krasnaya ploshchad)
The city square of Moscow separates the Kremlin from all of Russia, the former royal citadel and the official home of the president of Russia from the Kitai-gorod, the merchant quarter in the city. All major streets of Moscow radiate toward Red Square (Krasnaya ploshchad) as the heart of the city.
The Statue of Liberty
The people of France gave the United States the Statue of Liberty as a gift representing America’s independence. The neoclassical sculpture designed by Frederic Bartholdi, commissioned in 1865 and dedicated in 1886 stands in New York Harbor. The completion of the statue marked the first ticker-tape parade in New York.
Stonehenge
This prehistoric monument in Wiltshire County, England, consists of earthworks surrounding large standing stones assembled in a circle. Stonehenge sits in the middle of the most dense complex of Neolithic and Bronze Age monuments in England. Archaeologists suggest the site was erected anywhere between 3000 and 2200 BC.
Sydney Opera House
The multi-venue performing arts center that hosts more than 1,500 performances a year was built in three stages beginning in 1955 and ending in 1973. Danish architect Jorn Utzon received 5,000 pounds for his design idea. The Sydney Opera House is home to Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, the Sydney Theatre Co. and the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Timbuktu
This city in northeastern Mali began as a seasonal settlement in the 11th century. Duri the Mail Empire in the 12th and 13th centuries, it served as a center for trade in ivory, gold, salt and slaves.