I recently got hooked on one of National Geographic's programmes called "Ancient Megastructures". Every week they cover a huge structure made in ancient times -- and it's amazing to see how the structures came together. I saw one episode on Angkor Wat; yday I saw one on Petra.
I haven't been to Petra. My sister has - she was in Israel and she went on a tour to Jordon just to see it. I heard from her just how beautiful it was. So when the programme outline talked about it, I was sure I would watch it.
Interestingly enough, Petra was constructed by a group of very wealthy traders called Nabataeans. There had been settlements before that, but it was the Nabataeans who using their genius on water engineering and dams managed to create a city that had water supply all year around. Apart from this though, is the architectural feat achieved with the building of the Khazneh.
The Khazneh was in all probability a burial site, and hence is a tomb of some sorts. Recent archaelogical digging has revealed that beneath the Khazneh were more rooms.
It is intriguing to come across cities that are so ancient and beautiful. Earthquakes they say have led to a lot of the damage seen in the structures... there is a lot of debate on the exact nature of the sculptures and rock art seen around Petra. But no one denies that it is a wonder.
In fact, it made it to the list of the new seven wonders of the world. FYI the list is as follows:
Giza Pyramid Complex (Egypt)
Chichen Itza (Yucatan Mexico)
Christ the Redeemer (Brazil)
Colosseum (Italy)
Great Wall of China
Petra (Jordon)
Taj Mahal (Agra)
I am happy to report that I have seen three of these seven wonders.
You gotta have something else to do with your life right?
I haven't been to Petra. My sister has - she was in Israel and she went on a tour to Jordon just to see it. I heard from her just how beautiful it was. So when the programme outline talked about it, I was sure I would watch it.
Interestingly enough, Petra was constructed by a group of very wealthy traders called Nabataeans. There had been settlements before that, but it was the Nabataeans who using their genius on water engineering and dams managed to create a city that had water supply all year around. Apart from this though, is the architectural feat achieved with the building of the Khazneh.
The Khazneh was in all probability a burial site, and hence is a tomb of some sorts. Recent archaelogical digging has revealed that beneath the Khazneh were more rooms.
It is intriguing to come across cities that are so ancient and beautiful. Earthquakes they say have led to a lot of the damage seen in the structures... there is a lot of debate on the exact nature of the sculptures and rock art seen around Petra. But no one denies that it is a wonder.
In fact, it made it to the list of the new seven wonders of the world. FYI the list is as follows:
Giza Pyramid Complex (Egypt)
Chichen Itza (Yucatan Mexico)
Christ the Redeemer (Brazil)
Colosseum (Italy)
Great Wall of China
Petra (Jordon)
Taj Mahal (Agra)
I am happy to report that I have seen three of these seven wonders.
You gotta have something else to do with your life right?
No comments:
Post a Comment