00:00This is one of the most wonderful buildings from the ancient world.
00:04Welcome to Ms. Mojo, where we'll be looking at the most mind-blowing structures constructed by humanity.
00:11Angkor Wat was built in order to worship the gods.
00:17Number 10. Parthenon, Greece.
00:20High atop the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, stands one of the most magnificent
00:24and most aesthetically pleasing structures in the world, the Parthenon.
00:30The Athenian Acropolis rises above Athens, and on top of it sits the Parthenon.
00:35It's long past its prime, but still maintains its grandeur despite it.
00:40It was first built in the 5th century BC by the ancient Greeks, intended to be a temple to the goddess Athena.
00:47The whole thing was built in less than a decade, an incredible feat, especially since it's still standing.
00:53The proportions are so exact. For a large building, it is an amazing thing.
00:58Beautiful sculptures decorated the interior, depicting Greek gods and heroic battles.
01:04Fascinatingly, it's still a mysterious building.
01:06We don't fully comprehend its construction, plus there are rooms with unexplained purposes.
01:12Therefore, they built the Parthenon slightly incorrectly, quote-unquote,
01:17to compensate for this so that the net result is perfection.
01:21Number 9. Colosseum, Italy.
01:23The Roman Empire once ruled most of Europe and more, stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Scottish borders at its peak.
01:31Until 330 AD, its imperial capital was Rome, one of the most luxurious cities of antiquity.
01:38So the place that had belonged to the emperor, and that was private, will actually belong to the entire Roman people.
01:47A lot of their structures have been lost to time, but their remarkably strong concrete has kept the Colosseum standing strong.
01:54In its prime, it could hold up to 80,000 people.
01:58Symmachus and people like him would have seen the Colosseum and the games within them as absolutely essential to Roman life, to the greatness of Rome as a city.
02:08It hosted a plethora of events, including all types of Roman entertainment, from gladiator battles to dramas.
02:15Unfortunately, you can't still go see a gladiator fight there, but it's still worth a trip for the architecture alone.
02:22Are you not entertained?
02:23Number 8. Haya Sofya, Turkey.
02:26Before it was Istanbul, they called the city Constantinople.
02:29It was founded by Roman Emperor Constantine in 330 AD, then remained the Roman Empire's capital until 1453, making it the Roman Empire's capital for way longer than Rome.
02:42But somehow, Haya Sofya is still standing.
02:46At its heart was the Haya Sofya, initially constructed as a grand cathedral by Emperor Justinian.
02:52It's since been repurposed as a mosque and museum, but its appearance has barely changed in 1,500 years.
02:58How can one building be a symbol for two different religions and continue to inspire people to this day?
03:06Few buildings match its influence, becoming the blueprint for Eastern Orthodox architecture and even the later Ottoman mosques.
03:14It's been a popular attraction since the medieval ages and remains just as impressive as it was then.
03:20Glorious picture here of Istanbul, the Hagia Sofya really at the heart of the city, located on the west bank of the Bosphorus.
03:28It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
03:31Number 7. Teotihuacan, Mexico.
03:34Before colonization, Mesoamerica held some of the grandest monuments on the American continent.
03:40Their most impressive structures were huge pyramids, which remain scattered across modern-day Mexico.
03:46Just north of Mexico City lies the ruins of Teotihuacan City.
03:50This includes multiple massive pyramids built almost 2,000 years ago.
03:56So far, only 10% has been excavated.
03:58The settlement peaked in approximately 450 AD, making it way older than the Aztec Empire.
04:05Its Pyramid of the Sun remains one of the largest pyramids in not just Mesoamerica, but the whole world.
04:11Could there be secrets about our extraterrestrial past left for us to discover at this ancient city?
04:18Most other city buildings have been lost to time, but the huge pyramids remain as an indication of how grand the city once was.
04:26Number 6. Taj Mahal, India.
04:28When it comes to Indian monuments, the first one most people think of is the Taj Mahal.
04:33It resides in northern India, in the city of Agra, on the Yamuna River.
04:38Agra had a golden age, when it was the Mughal Empire's capital in the 16th century.
04:44While the Mughals have since fallen, a lot of their structures haven't.
04:48The Taj Mahal is the most famous, which was originally constructed as a resting place for Emperor Shah Jahan's wife, Mumtaz Mahal.
04:56Built by an emperor as a tomb for his favorite wife, the Taj Mahal has become India's international symbol of love.
05:03It's almost 400 years old, and still retains its original allure, with over 5 million people visiting it annually.
05:11So how many times have you been here?
05:13I've lost count.
05:14Number 5. Angkor Wat, Cambodia.
05:18The Khmer Empire was one of the longest reigning empires in Southeast Asia.
05:21They controlled most of the region, once owning modern-day Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and parts of Myanmar.
05:29The most significant structure to outlive the Khmer Empire is the Angkor Wat.
05:34Located in Cambodia, it's an enormous Hindu temple built in the Khmer capital, Angkor.
05:40It's the largest religious structure on Earth, an impressive title for something built in 1150 AD.
05:46Cambodia is so proud of it, it was added to their flag in 1948.
05:50It's not the only temple in Angkor.
05:53There are over 1,000 total in the area, but it might just be the most impressive.
05:58So one has to wonder why such a magnificent layout was chosen, and what does it mean?
06:04Number 4. Chichen Itza, Mexico.
06:07And that the Great Pyramid was built on this site because it symbolized the center of the Maya universe.
06:12At the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula, the Chichen Itza was built.
06:16It's one of the Maya's most famous cities, alongside one of their largest.
06:20The most famous construction from the site is easily El Castillo, a huge step pyramid in the site's heart.
06:27The city rose to prominence around the 7th century AD, then remained majorly important for roughly 500 years.
06:34Located on the Yucatan Peninsula are the ruins of an ancient Mayan city that thrived from 750 to 1200 AD.
06:42When the Spanish arrived, it was still populated, but it's unclear if the Maya were living there the same way as before, or if they had settled elsewhere.
06:52It took the Spanish almost two centuries to conquer the Maya, after which they turned Chichen Itza into a cattle ranch.
06:58Now, as that water ran low and the harvests failed, Chichen Itza's glory days had come to an end.
07:07Number 3. Machu Picchu, Peru.
07:09The Inca Empire was another immense pre-Columbian empire, which expanded across most of South America's west coast.
07:16Their most important city was Cusco, but Machu Picchu has become its most famous construction.
07:22There it is.
07:26Machu Picchu.
07:26It's a phenomenal citadel, first occupied in the 15th century.
07:31It's thought to have been a royal estate, but it was only used for eight decades.
07:42When the Spanish invaded, they found it empty, possibly due to smallpox from previous travelers.
07:48In 1912, an American explorer called Hiram Bingham rediscovered it when looking for the final Incan capital.
07:55It's since been excavated and restored, allowing for millions of tourists to visit annually.
08:05Number 2. Great Wall of China, China.
08:08China's most famous landmark is easily its Great Wall.
08:12It was first built over 2,500 years ago to protect China from Mongolian nomadic invasions.
08:18The Great Wall was first built as a barrier to keep out invading troops.
08:22These days, the UNESCO World Heritage Site is a major tourist attraction.
08:26A plethora of fortifications have been built since by various ruling states,
08:31but the most recognizable sections were built by the Ming Dynasty.
08:34Our first sort of major section of the wall that looks like a proper wall like we would imagine the Great Wall to look like.
08:41Throughout its history, only Genghis Khan's forces were able to breach it,
08:46though they managed this on more than one occasion.
08:49Now, the ruins stretch from the Liao Dong Peninsula to Lop Nhu in Xinjiang.
08:55Contrary to popular opinion, it can't be seen from space unless you bring a huge telescope with you.
09:01Before we continue, be sure to subscribe to our channel and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
09:11You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
09:15If you're on your phone, make sure you go into your settings and switch on notifications.
09:21Number 1. The Great Pyramids of Giza.
09:24Did you know Cleopatra lived closer to the construction of the iPhone than the pyramids?
09:29It's an interesting fact, highlighting how mind-blowingly old the Great Pyramids of Giza are.
09:35They were first built approximately 4,600 years ago,
09:40making them the best preserved and oldest ancient wonder.
09:43The Great Pyramid is a testament to ancient Egyptians' ingenuity.
09:49You might believe they were crafted by slaves, but that's a common misconception.
09:53In actuality, thousands of well-treated workers built them.
09:57For thousands of years, they were the tallest man-made structures on Earth,
10:02a title stolen by Lincoln Cathedral in 1311.
10:06Initially, they were covered with polished white limestone and had marvelous golden tips,
10:12making them more impressive than they are today.
10:15But even without the pharaoh's body, the Great Pyramid continues to ensure Khufu's place in history.
10:22What do you think is the most awe-inspiring wonder built by human hands?
10:26Let us know in the comments.
