Posted on 01/29/2007 6:54:51 AM PST by presidio9
Egypt is scoffing at a global contest to name the new seven wonders of the world, saying it is a disgrace that the ancient Pyramids of Giza — the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels — must compete for a spot.
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Top Egyptian officials have criticized the popular contest that urges people around the world to vote for their top sites from a list of 21 finalists that lumps the pyramids with upstart wonders like the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and Peru's Machu Picchu.
The pyramids are "living in the hearts of people around the globe, and don't need a vote to be among the world wonders," said the head of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, Zahi Hawass, according to the state-run Middle East News Agency.
Egyptian officials refused to meet with the organizer of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" contest, the Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, when he visited Egypt earlier this month, said the contest's spokeswoman Tia B. Viering. When Weber tried to hold a press conference near the pyramids, she said, police shut it down.
Organizers say the hostility is unwarranted, claiming the competition is supposed to renew international interest in culture and history, not strip the pyramids of their ancient status.
"The contest is not about taking something away, it's about moving something into modern times," Viering said.
The Egyptian pyramids are the only surviving structures from the traditional list of seven wonders of the ancient world, derived by later authors from various lists of marvels cited by ancient Greek and Roman writers.
Besides the pyramids, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica, the best known list includes the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes, the ancient lighthouse that once stood on the island of Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt, and three other long-vanished edifices.
Choosing a new roster of world wonders has attracted ongoing interest over the years: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, UNESCO, list of World Heritage Sites includes 830 selections.
Weber started his project in 1999, collecting nearly 200 nominations. That list was eventually narrowed to 21 by a panel of architectural experts, chaired by former UNESCO chief Federico Mayor.
But Weber wanted the masses to pick the top seven. People can vote on the Internet, by phone or by sending a cell phone text message until July 6. The seven winners will be announced on the symbolic date of July 7.
Half of the revenues raised by the campaign will go toward restoring historic sites, including the Bamiyan Buddha statue in Afghanistan, which was destroyed by the Taliban regime.
As part of the campaign, Weber is visiting each of the 21 sites, which also include the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, Stonehenge and the Acropolis in Athens.
Almost everywhere Weber has gone, he has been welcomed, but not in Egypt.
"We think it's about ego, and we don't know why the hostility is there," Viering said in a telephone interview from Belgium this weekend.
Egypt's Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, according to the Middle East News Agency, called the contest "nonsense" and "an attempt to seek celebrity and their efforts to meet Egyptian officials to give the contest significance won't take place. They have to understand the archaeological and the historical stature of the pyramids."
Egypt's ire may not hurt the pyramid's chances of making it on the new list. With more than 24 million votes so far, Viering said tombs — which are more than 4,000 years old — are in the top seven.
"We know that people all around the world want the pyramids as part of this as do people in Egypt," Viering said.
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You have to register first though :-(
All destroyed by Moslems.
The Pyramids and the Sphinx are still standing only because the Moslem attempts to destroy them were not successful.
'My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!'
I vote for the USA as the greatest wonder of the world.
They WERE first to practice PC art. They broke off all the male gentalia from the statues..........
'My name is Hillary!, King of Queens:
Look on my visage, ye mighty, and despair!'........
Change the name to the 7 MODERN WONDERS OF THE WORLD, and invalidate anything thats over 200 years old... that'll stop them griping.
Please the 7 wonders of the world will not change because some marketing firm comes up with some contest.
These Swiss are going cause riots and may even get their heads chopped off by the muzzies.
Most were already destroyed before the Muslims even existed.
As part of the campaign, Weber is visiting each of the 21 sites, which also include the Great Wall of China, the Sydney Opera House, Stonehenge and the Acropolis in Athens.WTF, the Sydney Opera House???
That's the problem with today's 'marvels of Architecture' - they're TEMPORARY. Their useful lifespan is about 50 years. After that bring in the cranes and dynamite.
Not true, THe Colossus and the Lighthouse both fell due to earthquakes.
Muslims are a blight on the planet, but no need to blame them for deeds they had nothing to do with... there are pleanty of blame for things they have done.
"I vote for the USA as the greatest wonder of the world."
Einstein nominated compound interest to the list.
BTW, said experts did not put the pyramids in their top ten.
The mohammedans have many crimes on their heads, but accusing them of something they didn't do constitutes "bearing false witness". You might want to check with Moses as to the advisability of doing that.
True, and it's odd that western archaeologists had to be the ones to rediscover and interpret the works of the ancient Egyptians. Once that happened, there was a sudden renewed interest and claim on the sites. They were ignored for centuries before that. Shameful.
The Easter Island statues and Stonehenge seem a little too primitive for this sort of thing. Petra, though, is very striking. I never got what the big deal was about the Eiffel Tower --- a giant eyesore if you ask me.
the leaning tower of pisa didn't make it?
So, you would leave the pyramids off of the list in favor of the Easter Island statues? Tell me something: Do you still work for the UN?
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