How does Trump's wall compare to 10 of the world’s most famous?

Telegraph Travel 26 January 2017 • 9:29am

Building walls - that's always worked out well, right? — Building walls – that's always worked out well, right? Credit: ALAMY

Donald Trump this week reaffirmed his commitment to building a wall across the US-Mexico border, a controversial idea that became a defining policy during his election campaign.

The president might want to take a look through the history books before erecting his “big and beautiful wall”; many leaders have tried to build such barricades, but few have proven successful...

1. The Great Wall of China, China

The most famous wall of all, this gargantuan structure is also perhaps the most beautiful. But don’t be fooled by its ornate aesthetic; this imposing structure had military motivations, namely to protect China from its marauding neighbours.

Despite the wall’s vast scale – it clocks in at 13,171 miles long – the barricade was routinely breached, most famously by the Manchus, who went on to sack Beijing and establish the Qing dynasty.

This wall hardly needs an introduction — This wall, which can't in fact be seen from space, hardly needs an introduction

2. The Berlin Wall, Germany

That fragments of the Berlin Wall can now be bought from souvenir shops across the German capital should tell you all you need to know about the success of this structure, which divided the city for nearly 30 years.

The wall cut off Allied-occupied West Berlin from Soviet-controlled East Berlin (and surrounding East Germany), cleaving families in two and bringing misery to the citizens of the city, dozens of whom were killed trying to cross the frontier. The stretches of wall that remain today offer a fascinating insight into a once-divided capital.

One of the last remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall, which divided the city for decades — One of the last remaining stretches of the Berlin Wall, which split the city for decades Credit: ALAMY

3. Western Wall, Jerusalem

Built by Herod the Great in 19BC, this ancient limestone barricade once formed part of an important Jewish temple, which was reduced to rubble by the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 586BC.

The 488m-long wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though the most sacred site in the Jewish faith is Temple Mount, which sits beyond the wall and is subject to entry restrictions (it’s also a holy site for Muslims and Christians).

Men praying at the Western Wall in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem Credit: ALAMY

4. Hadrian’s Wall, England

The crumbling remains of Hadrian's Wall are often cloaked in fog, and also mystery. Some historians suspect the emperor, Hadrian, commissioned the wall to defend the Roman province of Britannia from the “barbarians” up north.

Others believe it was constructed to prevent immigration and smuggling. Remind you of anything? Though no longer effective, the 73-mile long wall, which dates back to AD122, remains the world’s largest Roman artefact.

Hadrian’s Wall is the world's largest roman artefact Credit: ALAMY

5. Antonine Wall, Scotland

Though less famous than Hadrian's Wall, the Antonine Wall was another massive frontier erected by the Romans. Dating back to AD142, the fortification was commissioned by the emperor, Antoninus Pius, Hadrian’s successor, and was built largely of turf and wood.

Little of this ancient wall remains, though it is possible to follow the former frontier, which marked the northernmost border of the Roman Empire.

6. Great Zimbabwe Walls, Zimbabwe

Great Zimbabwe was the onetime capital of the Kingdom of Zimbabwe, but today this former megacity lies in ruins. Those ruins are, however, surrounded by towering walls, which stand as a formidable reminder of the might of this once great empire.

The remains of Great Zimbabwe date back to the 11th century and are scattered across an area of nearly 80 hectares, which is about the size of a small town. Still, at its peak some 18,000 people were thought to have crammed into the city.

The towering walls of Great Zimbabwe, which now lies in ruins Credit: ALAMY

7. Wall of Babylon, Iraq

Babylon was a major city in ancient Mesopotamia and was famously protected from invading armies by its eponymous walls, which were long considered to be impenetrable.

Made of blue glazed tiles – and featuring bas-relief dragons – the walls have been ravaged by conflict, neglect and plundering over the years, though Saddam Hussein did begin restoration work on the fortifications, which some scholars believe contained the Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Did these walls once harbour the Hanging Gardens of Babylon? Credit: ALAMY

8. Wall of Ston, Croatia

The second longest wall in Europe – after Hadrian’s – this ancient fortification was constructed to protect Dubrovnik and its nearby salt pans, which were the driving force behind the city’s economy.

Completed in the 15th century, the 3.5-mile wall and its many towers link the towns of Ston and Mali Ston, passing through some pretty scenery en route.

9. Walls of Troy, Turkey

Supposedly the site of the Trojan War, one of the most important events in Greek Mythology, the legendary city of Troy was made famous in Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad.

Today little remains of the city, which dates back more than 4,000 years, though visitors still flock to the site to marvel at the ghostly ruins, which are watched over by what’s left of the Walls of Troy.

Troy was made famous by Homer's epic poem, the Iliad Credit: ALAMY

10. Sacsayhuaman, Peru

A tricky one to pronounce for the English tongue, the city of Sacsayhuaman was once the capital of the Inca Empire and comprised a series of walls, which, legend has it, were laid out to look like a puma’s snarling teeth.

The giant boulders used to build the walls of Sacsayhuaman were so expertly interlocked that the site has survived countless earthquakes to have rocked the region.