This document provides a summary of four famous world landmarks: the Great Pyramid of Giza, Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal. It explains that all the information presented was sourced from credible websites that were evaluated based on accuracy, authority, objectivity, coverage, and currency to ensure reliable information. The sources were also selected based on the depth of information provided.

1. This webpage has been put together to give a highlight of the World’s greatest landmarks: the Great
Pyramid of Giza, Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, and the Taj Mahal. All information presented in
this site has been sourced from websites that were assessed on the five criteria of credibility described
by Metzger (2007) accuracy, authority, objectivity and coverage to ensure the information presented is
reliable.
To assess accuracy, the sourced information was checked against other sources both on and offline.
The authors of the information were accessed on their qualification for authority. Information that may
be biased was avoided or verified before using. The currency the information was checked to see if it
had since been updated and the latest information available was used. Sources were also selected
based on their coverage and depth of information.

2. All Giza Pyramids (Liberato 2006)
However, over thirty alternative theories have also
emerged, from the plausible: mathematical exercise and
astronomical observation, to the bizarre: alien
construction or a home for humanoid-lizards (Derricourt
2102).
Overwhelming, scholarly research has determined that
the construction of the pyramids was for their use as
tombs for the Pharaohs and their consorts (Derricourt
2102).
Untitled (Spolzovatel 2013)

3. The Great Pyramid of Giza was built for the Pharaoh Khufu
around 2530 BC and is the last of the seven ancient wonders
to remain intact (Wikipedia 2014).
PyramidDatePalms.jpg
The original height of the Great Pyramid of Giza was
145.6m (De Haan 2012, p.147), and was the highest man
made structure until the construction of Lincoln Cathedral
towers in 1311 (Lincoln Cathedral, 2014).
There are a further eight pyramids and many
tombs surrounding the great pyramids (de Noronha
et al 2011, p. 100).
The word ‘pyramid’ has no definitive etymology but is
believed to be derived from the the Greek puramis
(Collins 2007, p. 1318), itself possibly derived from the
Egyptian script, “pr-m-us”, meaning “height”
(Wiktionary, 2014)

4. The tourist impact on the structure of the pyramids includes
damage from water vapour through breathing and sweating
(Daily Mail 2012) and erosion from climbing (Security Infowatch
2008).
The unrest in Egypt, as a result of the Arab Spring and removal of
former president Hosni Mubarak, saw a sharp decline in tourism.
Despite a volatile security situation, the government has re-opened
one of the great pyramids, after a period of restoration, in an attempt
to reinvigorate tourism and aid Egypt’s economy (BBC 2012).
Egypt’s Tourism Lags Due To Poor Marketing, 2013
Classic Tourist Photo: Giza Pyramids, 2005

5. In 2008 security of the pyramids was improved. This included
the installation of a monitored, twenty kilometre fence and
cameras to monitor the grounds (Security Infowatch 2008).
According to Kamal Wahid, the unscrupulous
activities of hawkers have been curtailed
through the installation of internal stabling
facilities that will regulate horse and camel
rides (Security Infowatch 2008).The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt 2014
U.S. and Egyptian aircraft over the Pyramids during Exercise Bright Star '83

6. Stonehenge, located in Salisbury, England (Jarus 2012), is
considered one of the most famous megalithic monuments in
the world (Frye 2007). Stonehenge was constructed in 3100
BC, in three phases, over an estimated thirty million man
hours (About Stonehenge 2011).
To this day it is not fully understood why it was
constructed. Many theories exist including that it
was a temple built for worshiping ancient earth
deities or a burial ground for high ranking
citizens (Stuff.co.nz 2013).

7. Stonehenge’s construction continues to baffle scholars to this
day. There is currently no explanation as to how such
monumental earthworks occurred in a time without modern
technology (Cohen 2012). The largest of its stones are up to 9
metres tall and weigh 25 tons (Jarus 2012).
It is thought that the large stones were sourced from 32 kilometres away
in Marlborough Downs. The smaller bluestones weigh up to 4 tons and
are believed to have been sourced from 250 km away in Perseli Hills in
Wales (Jarus 2012).

8. In order to preserve Stonehenge the site was put into the care of the state in 1918 (Frye
2007). As visitors to the site increased so did the damage caused, especially to the smaller
bluestones and prehistoric carvings, in 1978 this lead to visitors no longer being able to touch
the stones (Frye 2007).

9. The Great Wall of China was built under the
commands of the first Emperor of Qin Dynasty.
The instructions were to build a wall to defend and
protect the Chinese from invaders and potential
attacks from enemies.
The wall divided China into states as it was built on the
state boundaries. It was built in the 7th century B.C and is
believed to have been built by soldiers and criminals using
natural earth materials such as rock, stone and sand.
The walls is over 6000 km long and consist of watch
towers, horse tracks, shelters and forts.

10. In the 17th century, the Manchus from central Asia and the Manchuria
from south of Asia broke through Wall and intruded on Beijing. The
Great Wall of China didn’t really serve its purpose, which was to prevent
invaders, however it did protected China from agricultural civilisation,
innovation and change.
Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of united China and he
instructed that the barricades between the different states
were to be removed and the walls joined into one single
wall. This protected china from the North. It is now the
world’s largest military structure.

11. It is said that over 10 million people visit the Great Wall of China every year.
Tourism has impacted the Great Wall, there has been some damage to the
walls structure. The wall has been vandalized and is now covered in graffiti
and litter.
Only one third of the wall now stands and the wall is continuing to shorten
due to developers, erosion, human activity and hiking tours. Little has been
done to preserve the wall.

12. The great wall is listed on china’s
protected sites law and regulation.
This law came about in 2006 and
was put in place to ensure the great
wall and its attributes would be
protected and preserved.
There has been little maintenance work on the
wall and the security on the wall is not very tight.
There are some guards standing nearby and
there are several security cameras.
There are weapons stored in the watchtowers for any
emergency situations.

13. Built as a monument of love to honour Shah
Jahan’s late wife Mumtaz Mahal who passed
away whilst giving birth to their 14th
child.(TajMahal.org.uk, n.d.)
Used as a mausoleum to house the remains
of Mumtaz Mahal. Also used as a tomb for
Shah Jahan who eventually passed away in
the year 1666.
(Polacci 2009)

14. Taj Mahal suffered neglect for two centuries after
Shah Jahan’s death. (TajMahal.org.uk, n.d.)
Construction began in 1631 after Mumtaz
Mahal’s passing.
Listed as UNESCO world heritage site in 1983
(History, n.d.)
The British viceroy of India, Lord Curzon, ordered
a restoration project in the 19th century to
preserve cultural identity. Built entirely out of white marble, it cost 32
million rupees which equates to
$68,000USD
Construction lasted 22 years, utilising the
services of 22000 labourers and 1000
elephants.(TajMahal.org.uk, n.d.)

15. Estimated 8 million people a year (45,000 during
peak tourist season) visit this landmark
Approximately 50,000 to 70,000 per day
As the tourist groups come and go,
more and more vehicles are being
used to transport them to and from the
Taj - creating traffic congestion
Twice a year, when a festival called Urs is held
at the Taj, the basement is so crowded that
individuals struggle to breathe(Shrivastav, 2013)

16. Air pollution from vehicles and nearby
factories pose continual threats
Locals within the Tajganj area where the
Taj is located, have been involved in a
‘vigilance network’ which provides support
and a lookout for any potential threats to
the monument (Sharda, 2014)
Battery-charged buses are used to transport
tourists to and from the Taj to reduce air
pollution
In 1998, India’s supreme court ordered anti-
pollution measures to protect the building
from deteriorating i.e. factories were closed
and vehicles were banned from the vicinity of
the complex (History, n.d.)

17. BBC News 2012, Egypt Opens Pyramid of Chefren to Tourists, BBC News Africa, 11 October, viewed 12 May 2014,
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<http://lincolncathedral.com/building/history/>
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References: The Great Pyramids of Giza

18. Cohen, J 2010, Solving the Riddle of Stonehenge’s Construction, A&E Television Networks LLC, viewed 12 May 2014,
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Frye, T. 2007, Stonehenge, T. Dewayne Frye, viewed 12 May 2014,
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Jarus, O 2012, Stonehenge: Facts & Theories About Mysterious Monument, Purch, viewed 12 May 2014,
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References: Stonehenge

19. References: Great Wall of China
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11 May 2014,
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20. Department of Tourism, Government of UP, Uttar Pradesh, 2014, Taj Visitors, Department of Tourism, Government of UP, Uttar Pradesh, viewed 10 May 2014,
<http://www.tajmahal.gov.in/taj_visitors.html>
Department of Tourism, Government of UP, Uttar Pradesh, 2014, The Taj Mahal Story, Department of Tourism, Government of UP, Uttar Pradesh, viewed 11 May
2014,
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Lopez, A. 2007, Taj Mahal's History of Repair and Restoration, Dilligetnt Media Corporation Ltd, 3 July, <http://www.dnaindia.com/scitech/report-taj-mahal-s-history-of-
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Sharda, S. 2014. ‘Locals to Provide Additional Security Cover to Taj Mahal’, The Times of India, 20 Feb, viewed 10 May 2014
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Shrivastav, S. 2013, ‘NEERI at Work to Uncover how Tourists Hurt the Taj Mahal’, The Times of India, 25 July, viewed 10 May 2014
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References: Taj Mahal

21. Great Pyramids of Giza (In Order of Appearance)
Spolzovatel, D 2010, ‘Untitled’ [Photograph # 29], Art, Drugspace, viewed 12 May 2014,
<https://drugspace.info/threads/krasota-3.3728/page-2/>
Liberato, R 2006, ‘All Giza Pyramids’ [Photograph], Ricardo Ligerato Photostream, Flickr,
viewed 12 May 2014,
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:All_Gizah_Pyramids.jpg>
Wikipedia 2005, ‘PyramidDatePalms’ [Stereopticon Card Photo], Wikipedia, viewed 12 may
2014
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:PyramidDatePalms.jpg>
Gulick, T and Gulick, A 2005, ‘Classic Tourist Photo: Giza Pyramids’ [Photograph], in Tim
and Annettee Gulick’s photostream, Flickr, viewed 12 May 2104
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/gulicks/4812031/>
Desouki, K 2013, ‘Egypt’s tourism lags due to poor marketing’ [Photograph], Daily News
Egypt, RootGate, viewed 12 May 2014,
<http://www.dailynewsegypt.com/2013/12/14/egypts-tourism-lags-due-to-poor-marketing/>
Woondu 2014, ‘The Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt’ [Photograph], Woondo, The Funniest
Pictures Ever, viewed 12 May 2014
<http://woondu.com/the-great-pyramids-of-giza-egypt/>
Joint Service Audiovisual Team 1983, ‘An air-to-air left side view of U.S. and Egyptian
aircraft over the Pyramids during Exercise Bright Star '83.’ [Photograph],
DefenseImagery.Mil ,Defense Visual Information (DVI) Directorate, viewed 12 May 214
<http://www.defenseimagery.mil/imagery.html;jsessionid=DE669C813ABF951EF82B5B6C
16EA6710#guid=54096584470510a677e8a027f041719247c48455>
Reference of Photographs and Other Images
Stonehenge (In Order of Appearance)
Simon Wakefield 2008, ‘Stonehenge’ [photograph], in Simon Wakefield’s photostream,
Flickr, viewed 13 May 2014,
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/simonwakefield/3149066878/>
Sandyraidy 2007, ‘Stonehenge – Drids-1’ [photograph], Stonehenge, Wikipedia, viewed 13
May 2014,
<http://ro.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonehenge>
Kristian H Resset 2005, ‘Stonehenge Inside Facing NE April’ [photograph], Stonehenge,
Wikipedia, viewed 13 May 2014,
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Koji Mukai 2012, ‘Stonehenge’ [photograph], NASA Blueshift, Flikr, viewed 13 May 2014,
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/nasablueshift/7410484176/>
Stonehenge Stone Circle 2000, ‘Stonehenge Visitor Centre and Galleries Preview Tour’
[photograph], in Stonehenge Stone Circle’s photostream, Flickr, views 13 May 2014,
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/stonehenge-stone-circle/8734105307/>
Maxime Dotto 2012, ‘Le Stonehenge’ [photograph], From Wikimedia Commons, Wikimedia,
viewed 13 May 2014,
<http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Le_Stonehenge.jpg>

22. Reference of Photographs and Other Images
The Great Wall of China (In Order of Appearance)
Author, Initial YEAR, ‘TITLE’ [Image Type], Title of Webpage, Host site, viewed
<https://url/>
The Taj Mahal (In Order of Appearance)
Polacci, G 2009, ‘Untitled’ [Photograph], Daily Tourism and Culture, Travelling Interline
International, viewed 16 May 2014http://travelling.travelsearch.it/2009/01/28/best-tours-
iniziati-gli-appuntamenti-con-“itinerari-nella-storia”/4057>
Someshwar, M 2012, ‘A rare picture of the Taj Mahal’, [Photograph] The Long Walk Home
Blogspot, viewed 16 May 2014,
http://the-long-walk-home.blogspot.com.au/2012_04_01_archive.html
Taj Mahal.com 2014, Taj Mahal [Photograph], Taj Mahal History, Taj Mahal.com, viewed 16
May 2014,
http://www.tajmahal.com/1/history/taj-mahal-history.htm
Bailey, D 2005, ‘Tourist Gets in Way of Taj Mahal’ [Photograph], David Bailey Photostream,
Flickr, viewed 16 May
2014,http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidjwbailey/2586805871/in/photostream/
Uddlehex 2013, The Colours of the Taj Mahal [Photograph], Uddlehex Photostream, Deviant
Art, viewed 16 May 2104,http://uddelhexe.deviantart.com/art/The-Colours-of-Taj-Mahal-
158501443
Anaxila 2002, ‘Taj Mahal Maintenance’ [Photograph], Anaxila Photostream, Flickr, viewed 16
May 2014,
https://www.flickr.com/photos/anaxila/354777556/

23. Group 1 • Learning & Communication Online • Swinburne University of Technology • 2014