It’s an ancient Chinese fortification made of stone, brick, tamped earth, wood, and other materials

built along an east-to-west line across the historical northern borders of China to protect the
Chinese states and empires against the raids and invasions of the various nomadic groups of the
Eurasian Steppe.

Several walls were being built as early as the 7th century BC, these, later joined together and
made bigger and stronger, are collectively referred to as the Great Wall

Especially famous is the wall built in 220–206 BC by Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor of China.
Little of that wall remains.

The Great Wall was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.

The Great Wall has been rebuilt, maintained, and enhanced over various dynasties, most of the
existing wall is from the Ming Dynasty

Besides defense, other purposes of the Great Wall have included border controls, regulation or
encouragement of trade and the control of immigration and emigration.

Counting its ramifications and secondary constructions, it is estimated to be about 7,000

kilometers long, from the border with Korea, to the edge of the Yalu river, to the Gobi desert,
although today only 30% of it is conserved. On average, it measures 6 to 7 meters high and 4 to 5
meters wide.

In 2007 the Chinese wall was included among the seven wonders of the modern world.

characteristics
 The Great Wall had three major components: passes, signal towers, and walls also it has
watchtowers and barracks
 Signal towers were also called beacons, beacon terraces, smoke mounds, mounds, or
kiosks. They were used to send military communications: beacon (fires or lanterns) during
the night or smoke signals in the daytime.
Signal towers, often built on hilltops for maximum visibility, were self-contained high
platforms or towers. The lower levels contained rooms for soldiers, as well as stables,
sheepfolds, and storage areas.
 Along the wall there are battlements in the upper line of the great majority of the wall,
with defensive hollows of a little more than 30 cm in height, and around 23 cm wide
 It has 3 doors Juyong Pass or north pass, the Jiayu Pass or West Pass and Shanhai Pass or
East pass
 One of the most striking sections of the Great Ming Wall is where it climbs very steep
slopes. Of 11 kilometers long, it has 67 watchtowers and is 980 meters above sea level.