The Fates of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World

The Great Pyramid of Giza, constructed for Pharaoh Khufu around 2500 BC, is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, a list created by Greek historians such as Diodorus Siculus and Antipater of Sidon. Originally adorned with limestone and topped with gold, it suffered from looting over the years. In AD 1196, Sultan Al-Aziz Uthman sought to destroy it. The Mausoleum of Halicarnassus, erected for King Mausolus in the mid-4th century BC, faced damage from earthquakes and was later used for Bodrum Castle. The Temple of Artemis was destroyed three times, while the Statue of Zeus likely vanished in the 400s AD. The Colossus of Rhodes collapsed in 226 BC, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria was dismantled in 1480. The existence of the Hanging Gardens remains uncertain.