British actor Ben Kingsley and US actress Hillary Swank hosted the celebrity-studded ceremony at Lisbon's Stadium of Light, broadcast in more than 170 coutries to an estimated 1.6 billion viewers.


A private Swiss foundation launched the contest - dreamed up by filmmaker and museum curator Bernard Weber - in January, allowing voters to choose from 21 sites short-listed out of 77 picked by a jury of renowned architects and ex-Unesco chief Federico Mayor.

It said it had gathered nearly 100 million votes by the end of polling at midnight on Friday.

The short-listed sites included the Acropolis in Athens,

New Wonders of the World

the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the statues on Easter Island, Britain's Stonehenge, Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples , the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Alhambra in Spain.

the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the statues on Easter Island, Britain's Stonehenge, Cambodia's Angkor Wat temples , the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Alhambra in Spain.

the Statue of Liberty in New York and the Alhambra in Spain.
However, the UN cultural body that designates world heritage sites skipped the event.

"The list of the seven new wonders will be the result of a private initiative which cannot contribute in any significant or lasting way to the preservation of the elected sites," the Paris-based Unesco said in a statement last month.

The initiative seeks to recreate the popularity of the seven wonders of the world of antiquity of which only the Pyramids of Egypt still remain.

The ceremony was attended by a myriad of stars and celebrities including former astronaut Neil Armstrong, actress and singer Jennifer Lopez, and Portuguese Prime Minister Jose Socrates.

"It is the first time in history that all the citizens of the world have been able to vote and decide," declared Diogo Freitas do Amaral, chairman of the organizing committee.

In China, the televised event was not broadcast,

leaving thousands of tourists at the Great Wall unaware of the new tag.

"As usual there are a lot of tourists here today, but I don't think they came here because the Great Wall was chosen as one of the seven wonders of the world," Hu Yang, said an official at the Badaling Great Wall near Beijing.

"There was no special activity to welcome this ... all the same it is a great honour for all of China." Indians handed out sweets and set off fireworks outside the Taj Mahal, a 17th century marble mausoleum built by Mughal ruler Shah Jahan in memory of his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

"It's a victory of love, the message which the Taj stands for," said Rakesh Chauhan, president of the Agra Hotel and Restaurant Association, announcing a 20 per cent cut in room rates in the town's budget hotels for the next year.-AFP


Machu Picchu (1460-1470), Peru

In the 15th century, the Incan Emperor Pachacútec built a city in the clouds on the mountain known as Machu Picchu ("old mountain"). This extraordinary settlement lies halfway up the Andes Plateau, deep in the Amazon jungle and above the Urubamba River. It was probably abandoned by the Incas because of a smallpox outbreak and, after the Spanish defeated the Incan Empire, the city remained 'lost' for over three centuries. It was rediscovered by Hiram Bingham in 1911.

The Pyramid at Chichén Itzá (before 800 A.D.) Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

Chichén Itzá, the most famous Mayan temple city, served as the political and economic center of the Mayan civilization. Its various structures - the pyramid of Kukulkan, the Temple of Chac Mool, the Hall of the Thousand Pillars, and the Playing Field of the Prisoners - can still be seen today and are demonstrative of an extraordinary commitment to architectural space and composition. The pyramid itself was the last, and arguably the greatest, of all Mayan temples.

The Roman Colosseum (70 - 82 A.D.) Rome, Italy 

This great amphitheater in the centre of Rome was built to give favors to successful legionnaires and to celebrate the glory of the Roman Empire. Its design concept still stands to this very day, and virtually every modern sports stadium some 2,000 years later still bears the irresistible imprint of the Colosseum's original design. Today, through films and history books, we are even more aware of the cruel fights and games that took place in this arena, all for the joy of the spectators.

The Taj Mahal (1630 A.D.) Agra, India

This immense mausoleum was built on the orders of Shah Jahan, the fifth Muslim Mogul emperor, to honor the memory of his beloved late wife. Built out of white marble and standing in formally laid-out walled gardens, the Taj Mahal is regarded as the most perfect jewel of Muslim art in India. The emperor was consequently jailed and, it is said, could then only see the Taj Mahal out of his small cell window.






Christ Redeemer (1931)
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

This statue of Jesus stands some 38 meters tall, atop the Corcovado mountain overlooking Rio de Janeiro. Designed by Brazilian Heitor da Silva Costa and created by French sculptor Paul Landowski, it is one of the world's best-known monuments. The statue took five years to construct and was inaugurated on October 12, 1931. It has become a symbol of the city and of the warmth of the Brazilian people, who receive visitors with open arms.

The Great Wall of China (220 B.C and 1368 - 1644 A.D.) China

The Great Wall of China was built to link existing fortifications into a united defense system and better keep invading Mongol tribes out of China. It is the largest man-made monument ever to have been built and it is disputed that it is the only one visible from space. Many thousands of people must have given their lives to build this colossal construction.



Petra (9 B.C. - 40 A.D.), Jordan

On the edge of the Arabian Desert, Petra was the glittering capital of the Nabataean empire of King Aretas IV (9 B.C. to 40 A.D.). Masters of water technology, the Nabataeans provided their city with
great tunnel constructions and water chambers.






A theater, modelled on Greek-Roman prototypes, had space for an audience of 4,000. Today, the Palace Tombs of Petra, with the 42-meter-high Hellenistic temple facade on the El-Deir Monastery, are impressive examples of Middle Eastern culture.