Despite having an abundance of historic treasures, and the oldest free-standing man-made buildings in the world, Malta was not represented in the top 77 nominees for the Seven Wonders of the modern world – let alone making it to the final 21.

The campaign to establish the New Seven Wonders of the World was launched by Swiss author and aviator Bernard Weber in 2000. The public, the world over, was invited to submit nominations for the wonder sites of which the top 77 were later judged by a panel led by former UNESCO director-general Professor Federico Mayor.

The judging panel also included leading architects Zaha Hadid from Great Britain, Tadao Ando from Japan and Cesar Pelli from the US.

The campaign to select the New Seven Wonders via a worldwide ballot has already attracted more than 19 million votes from around the globe. Now, as the campaign reaches its final stages, experts have considered the 77 sites with the highest number of votes from the public and drawn up a shortlist of 21. These were announced on New Year’s Day and will go forward to a final year of public voting, before the winning seven locations are announced on 1 January 2007.

Among the sites under consideration are the Taj Mahal in India, the Easter Island Statues, the Great Wall of China, the Colosseum in Rome, the Sydney Opera House and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Other ancient sites include Stonehenge in the United Kingdom and the pyramids in Giza, which could certainly have been given a run for their money had Malta’s temples received enough nominations in the initial stage (if any at all).

As it stands, Malta has missed the boat because the sites which made the final 21, from the original 77, were actually selected by the panel and were not based on votes received.

The Malta Independent contacted Heritage Malta and Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna yesterday, but no comments were forthcoming. Tourism and Culture Minister Francis Zammit Dimech also said he was not in a position to comment on the issue at present.

TMID also contacted the foundation to check whether any Maltese sites had been nominated, but this newspaper was still awaiting an answer yesterday evening.

To be included in the list, the wonders had to be man-made, completed by 2000, and in an “acceptable” state of preservation.

On New Year’s Day 2007 the world will learn which of the Earth’s treasures will stand in history alongside the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World.

The Great Pyramid of Giza, which is included in the new list, is the only original wonder to remain in contention.

The New Seven Wonders Foundation says it is using its survey to alert the world to the destruction of the world’s cultural heritage. This is the biggest-ever global vote. Millions of people have already voted for their choice of “Wonder” and numerous milestones have already been reached on a journey across the internet, television and the world’s media.

Half the profits from the campaign will be donated to global good causes in monument and building restoration and preservation.