Hi everyone!
Guess who’s back and better than ever! Ya girl. And this week I want to explore another famous landmark called Petra. I have been keeping up a theme of exploring the Seven Wonders of the World, and this happens to be yet another. The picture that I found of the site was beautiful, and for lack of a better reason, why I want to study it this week. Let’s start, shall we?
Overview:
This is the picture I found that captivated me. As you can see, Petra is half-built and half-carved into the red sandstone wall, which further illustrates the pure awesomeness of the architecture. This structure can be found in Jordan, located between the Red Sea and the Dead Sea. The boundaries of the building along with other sites overlap with Petra National Park. Nonetheless it is the capital of the Nabateans, as serves as a crossroads for Arabia, Egypt, and Syria. Or at least it did during the Roman period. It is likely to have existed between 9 B.C. to A.D. 40. There is so much to be awknowledged about this beautiful area. To quote UNESCO, “The Outstanding Universal Value of Petra resides in the vast extent of elaborate tomb and temple architecture; religious high places; the remnant channels, tunnels and diversion dams that combined with a vast network of cisterns and reservoirs which controlled and conserved seasonal rains, and the extensive archaeological remains including of copper mining, temples, churches and other public buildings. ” For centuries the city sat abandoned until the early 1800’s.
It was not until 1985 that Petra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2007, this site became one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Unfortunately the monuments are exposed to the natural elements, and subject to erosion from water and wind. Some argue that the authenticity of the site is deteriorating along with the decay from the elements. Also, since tourism is so popular in the area, the site is increasingly under pressure. However, Jordan has a law that specifies the Department of Antiquities is responsible for protecting the monuments.ย There is stress for a long-term plan that will preserve the property and keep the originality.
There is still much to be discovered about the city. In fact, there is still much to be discovered about the “Lost City”. Nearly 85% still remains to be uncovered, which only adds to the mystery of the beautiful landscape. Sadly, what has been discovered has been looted by thieves, but tourists still visit the site to explore the royal tombs and admire the creative architecture.
I hope you all enjoyed Petra! It is undoubtedly a glorious city that would be so incredible to visit. I cannot wait to see if in the coming years there are some discoveries made in the city! I guess we’ll just have wait and see!
Until next week!
http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/outdoors-and-adventure/articles/new-seven-wonders-of-the-world
http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/326
www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCoyRrylVrg
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/archaeology-and-history/archaeology/lost-city-petra/
www.petra-trip.com/page/tips-about-petra-tours