A NEW SERIES--MEDIEVAL 7 WONDERS OF WORLD

The Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa , located in Alexandria, Egypt were built in the 1st century A.D. In 1900 a donkey fell thru a hole in the ground into an access well to re-discover it. A circular staircase leads down,, 3 stories where the active burial or Catacomb site is carved out of solid rock.

The Colosseum or Amphitheatre is the most famous monument of Ancient Rome. Built in 80 A.D with a capacity of 50,000 people. All over the empire, Romans enjoyed going to the theater to see concerts, plays and chariot races. It was also used for cruel bloody fights to the death between slaves and criminals and men against animals. The fights were called venations.

The Porcelain Tower of Nanjing, China, on the banks of the Yangtze river was called the temple of Grantitude. This Buddist Pagoda fwas 97' in diameter and rose to a height of 260. The brilliant porcelain bricks that faced the tower were unforgettable. Glittering in the sun, at night they were lit up by 140 lamps, hanging across the exterior. European visiitors were quick to name it one of the wonders of the world. It was destroyed by warfare in the 19th century.

The Hagia Sophia a common church built in A.D. 326 istanbul, Turkey, it became the heart of two of the world's great religions. Christians called it Haga Sophia, church of he Holy Wisdom. To Muslims it became Ayhasofya Camii. It stood for 172 years before rioting crowds burned it to the ground. It was rebuilt 220' x 250' and soared 180' above the square. Four acres of gold mosaics shimmered from the ceiling and multi colored marble gleamed everywhere. In 558 much of it collapsed due to earthquakes. Once again, rebuilt, it lasted another 400 years.

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It was during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) that the Wall took on its present form. Each Dynasty added to the heighth breradth and length and watch towers and modern cannon were added at strategic points. The wall served well until the Mongols and Manchurians took advantage of an interior rebellion and were able to take over the weak government and its impoverished people. The Great Wall stretches over 4,000 miles and it was reported that 2 to 3 million Chinese died during the 200 years of construction.

The famous LEANING TOWER OF PISA located in italy was an ambitious monument of the Tuscan Romanesque. The square is known as the Piazza del Miracoli. No longer can you climb the tower because they thought it might collapse, having been built on unstable ground. No effort has been made to reconstruct it or restabilize the foundation.

7 WONDERS, MEDIEVAL TIMES (A NEW SERIES)

7 A NEW SERIES: 7 Wonders of MEDIEVAL TIMES. The Stonehenge, is Britain's greatest national icon of mystery, power and endurance. It was thought to be a temple for the worship of ancient deities, but it also serves as an astronomical observatory. The stones above show Stonehenge in ruins as many of the stones have fallen or been rfemoved for home construction and road repairs. A bank and ditch arrangement called a henge was built about 5,000 years ago.The stones were dragged by roller ad sledge from inland mountains, loaded onto barges and saled along the S. Coast of Wales to the rivers Avon and Fromme. The first stone circle was made up of 80 bluestones, weighing 4 tons each.