Wonders of My World
The Parthenon Reminisces

Essay Writing Competition 2026
Category: 8 - 11 years
- Winner -

Winning Essay: "Wonders of My World - The Parthenon Reminisces"

by Ira Majumder Gokhale from Singapore

This essay was submitted in the Kids World Travel Guide Writing Competition 2026 in the Junior Category 8 - 11 years.

Wonders of My World
The Parthenon Reminisces

Have you ever seen two gods arguing about olive trees? Have you ever been a Greek temple, a church, and a mosque before? Well, I have.

You’ve probably guessed who I am, and this is my story.

Greece was divided into different cities, each with a different king (I know, total patriarchy). There was a city called Cecropia (pronounced suh-KROH-pee-uh). Poseidon, the sea god, arrived first and struck a rock with his trident, creating a saltwater spring. Later, Athena, the goddess of wisdom and warfare, planted the first olive tree in front of the king, Cecrops. Before the two of them could start World War -1 (yes, minus one, I am that old), Zeus put an end to their argument.

"The people shall decide their patron by choosing which gift they prefer," Zeus decreed. "My saltwater spring will give you endless water," Poseidon said smugly. The people knew that this gift would be useless, as it gave out saltwater. Athena went next. "This is an olive tree. You can use these olives for food and sell their oil."

They named the city Athens. The Athenians built Athena a temple on the Acropolis. The Persians burnt it down.

Thirty years later, Pericles ordered ME to be built. I was made out of marble and painted in bright shades of red, blue and gold! The chief architects, Iktinos and Kallikrates, engineered me with virtually no straight lines!

Inside me was the 12-metre-tall Athena Parthenos! The statue was made of smooth ivory (I’m not very proud of that, I love elephants) and 1,100 kilograms of PURE GOLD. In Athena’s hand was a human-sized figure of Nike, the goddess of victory (not sport shoes). Basically, I was FABULOUS.

Later, I became a Christian church dedicated to Our Lady of Athens (the Virgin Mary). The Athena Parthenos was looted and burnt in a fire. Next, the Ottomans conquered Athens and converted me into a mosque. During a war with Venice, the Ottomans used me as a gunpowder storage space, believing the Venetians wouldn’t bomb such a historic monument.

On September 26, 1687 (yes, I remember the date), a Venetian mortar shell scored a direct hit on the roof. Boom! The gunpowder inside exploded, blowing out my entire centre and collapsing 14 columns (my back is still sore). Worse, the British Lord Elgin got a permit from the Ottomans to remove my surviving sculptures. He hacked away roughly half of them, shipping them to England. Finally, after Greece won its independence, I was declared an archaeological zone. Phew! So much damage could not be undone. (I don’t mind; it gives me character.)

I am now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and tourists come from all over the world to see me! It is my 2,472nd birthday this year. (Remember to give me a present.) I am a reminder to everyone of what humans can achieve and destroy.

I am the PARTHENON and this was my story.

Congratulations, Ira! Your outstanding essay has been selected as the winner in the 8–11 years age category!

Thank you for your creative story! Your humorous, engaging and authentic writing makes the Parthenon a very unique narrator of myths and historical events.

Your word choice is excellent, the structure with lovely transitions is clear and the distinctive voice and playful commentary bring the Parthenon's story to life for us!

Well done! You can be so proud of yourself!

Ira is 10 years old and attends Bukit Timah Primary School in Singapore. English is her home language and Hindi and Malay are further home languages. Here is her impressive little author's note:

Hi! My name is Ira. Interestingly, in my culture, Ira is another name for the Hindu goddess Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom, much like Athena who I have written about in my story. This connection is one of the reasons why I chose the majestic Parthenon as my narrator.

I love to travel and have been to over 20 countries. I absolutely love the fantasy series "Percy Jackson" which sparked my interest in Greek mythology and culture. So you can imagine how delighted I was when I found out we were going to Greece for a holiday.

My favourite Greek goddess is Athena and I was completely blown away by the Parthenon. Its fascinating history really intrigued me, especially the legend of how Athena became its patron goddess. That made me wonder what the story would sound like from the Parthenon's perspective.

That question inspired this short story and I really hope you like it.