The Taj Mahal was chosen as one of the New7Wonders of the World in 2007.
The announcement took place on 7 July 2007 at a ceremony in Lisbon, Portugal. The campaign was organized by the New7Wonders Foundation and used public voting by telephone and the internet. The Taj Mahal joined six other winners, including Petra, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Chichén Itzá, and Christ the Redeemer.
This was a modern popularity poll, not a continuation of the ancient list of Seven Wonders. UNESCO was not responsible for the election and later emphasized that the New7Wonders campaign was separate from its World Heritage program. The process was also criticized because voters could cast multiple votes, so the result should not be interpreted as a scientific ranking.
The Taj Mahal had been a finalist among hundreds of nominated monuments. In India, a major publicity campaign encouraged people to vote for the mausoleum, helping make its 2007 selection a widely celebrated national event.