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50.0%ANMag Issue 25 Global Awareness
The New Wonders of the World − Part III of III
By Ghassan Teffaha, Staff Writer
Beirut, Lebanon − Part III − Machu Picchu, located at 2,430 meters above sea level on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Also known as "The Lost City of the Incas", Machu Picchu is probably the most recognizable symbol of the Inca Empire.
The construction in Machu Picchu is classic Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar in the local Inca dialect, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that not even a knife fits between the stones. Unlike the ancient Egyptians, the Incas never used the wheel in any practical manner. The technology and mechanisms they used to move and place all the enormous blocks of stones is still a mystery to our day. Many archeologists believe that they used hundreds of men to push the stones up inclined planes.
The complex is composed of 140 constructions including temples, sanctuaries, parks and residences. There are more than one hundred flights of stone steps and a great number of water fountains, interconnected by channels and water-drainages perforated in the rock, designed for the original irrigation system. Evidence has been found to suggest that the irrigation system was used to carry water from a holy spring to each of the houses in turn.
Machu Picchu was divided into three great districts: the Sacred District, the Popular District, to the south, and the District of the Priests and the Nobility. Located in the sacred district are the primary archaeological treasures, the Intihuatana, the Temple of the Sun and the Room of the Three Windows. These were dedicated to Inti, the sun god and greatest deity. The Popular District, or Residential District, is the place where the lower class people lived. They include storage buildings and simple houses to live in. In the Priests and Nobility area, a group of houses located in rows over a slope; the residence of the Shaman or Elderly was characterized by its reddish walls while the zone of the Ñustas or the princesses had trapezoid-shaped rooms. The Monumental Mausoleum is a carved statue with vaulted interior and carved drawings. It was used for rites or sacrifices.
Although it was built around the year 1450, it is worth noting that it was abandoned a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish conquest of the Inca Empire. Forgotten for centuries by all except for a few locals, the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction. It was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
Petra, also known as the Rose City located in southwestern Jordan in a large valley running down from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It is world famous for having many structures carved into the stone walls of the valley.
Until this day, the history of the city of Petra is shrouded with fog. Evidence suggests that the city was founded relatively late, though a sanctuary may have existed there since very ancient times. The habits of the original natives may have influenced the Nabataean custom of burying the dead and offering worship in half-excavated caves. The Nabataeans worshipped the Arab gods and goddesses of the pre-Islamic times as well as few of their deified kings. The most famous of these was Obodas I who was deified after his death. Many statues carved in the rock depict these gods and goddesses. Christianity found its way into Petra in the 4th century AD, nearly 500 years after the establishment of Petra as a trade center. At least one of the tombs was used as a church. An inscription in red paint records its consecration "in the time of the most holy bishop Jason The Christianity of Petra, as of north Arabia, was swept away by the Muslim conquest of 629–632. The Monastery, is Petra's largest monument, it dates from the first century BC. It was dedicated to Obodas I and is believed to be the symposium of Obodas the god. This information is inscribed on the ruins of the Monastery.
Petra's decline came rapidly under Roman rule, in large part due to the revision of sea-based trade routes. In 363 an earthquake destroyed buildings and crippled the vital water management system. The ruins of Petra were an object of curiosity in the middle ages and were visited by Sultan Baibars of the Mamluks towards the close of the 13th century. The long-hidden site was revealed to the Western world by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. It was famously described as "a rose-red city half as old as time". The site was designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 when it was described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage. It was also made famous by being the place where the holy grail is buried in the third installation of the Indiana Jones movies.
The Taj Mahal, located in the city of Agra in India, it was built under Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his favorite wife Mumtaz Mahal who died suddenly.
In 1631, Shah Jahan, emperor during Mughal's period of greatest prosperity, was shocked when his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died during the birth of their fourteenth child!!! The court chronicles of Shah Jahan's grief illustrates the love story traditionally held as an inspiration for Taj Mahal. The construction of Taj Mahal begun soon after Mumtaz's death with the principal mausoleum completed in 1648. The surrounding buildings and garden were finished five years later. The main attraction of Taj Mahal is the white marble tomb, which stands on a square plinth consisting of a symmetrical building with an iwan; an arch-shaped doorway, topped by a large dome. Due to the fact that Muslim traditions forbid the use of faces and figures as decorations, the exterior and interior of the Taj Mahal are mostly abstract forms, natural factors and religious calligraphy.
Soon after its completion, Shah Jahan was deposed and put under house arrest at nearby Agra Fort by his son Aurangzeb. Legend has it that he spent the remainder of his days gazing at the Taj Mahal. Upon Shah Jahan's death, Aurangzeb buried him in the Taj Mahal next to his wife. By late 19th century, parts of Taj Mahal had fallen badly into disrepair. During the time of Indian rebellion of 1857, Taj Mahal faced defacement by British soldiers and government officials, who chiseled out precious stones and lapis lazuli from its walls. At the end of 19th century British viceroy Lord Curzon ordered a massive restoration project, completed in 1908. He also commissioned the large lamp in the interior chamber, modeled on one in a Cairo mosque. It was during this time the garden was remodeled with British looking lawns that are visible today. In 1942, the government erected a scaffolding in anticipation of an air attack by German Luftwaffe and later by Japanese Air Force. During the India-Pakistan wars of 1965 and 1971, scaffoldings were erected to mislead bomber pilots. Its recent threats came from environmental pollution on the banks of Yamuna River including acid rain due to Mathura oil refinery, which was opposed by Supreme Court of India directives. In 1983, Taj Mahal was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Taj Mahal attracts 2 to 3 million visitors every year with more than 200,000 from overseas, making it the most popular tourist attraction in India. Most tourists visit during the cooler months of October, November and February. Polluting traffic is not allowed near the complex and tourist must either walk from the carparks or catch an electric bus.
The Material of “The New Wonders of the World” was taken from Wikipedia