FUN-travel: New 7 Wonders of the World # 6 Petra, Jordan
June 25, 2013 by Susan Clarke
#6 Petra, Jordan – March, 2013
- Petra dates back to 300 BC and in our opinion is on the same scope as Angkor Wat in beauty and scale. It is a marvelously preserved massive city of carved sandstone tombs and temples.
The Treasury
- As-Siq is the ancient main entrance that consists of an impressive long, deep, narrow gouge over half mile long, hemmed by massive cliffs 250 feet high. The bizarre looking colorful rock formations include water channels cut into the cliffs and votive niches carved into the rock.
- The Treasury is the most beautiful and most photographed monument standing almost 140’ high and 90’ wide. It was carved in 1st century BC as a tomb of important Nabataean King. To reach it you walk for almost two miles. On the way to the city center you pass the Street of Facades consisting of rows of tombs with intricate carvings.
- The city center includes The Theatre which seated 3000 and was carved into solid rock; Colonnaded Street which contained temples, public buildings, and shops; and The Royal Tombs which are a series of carved temples in the side of the mountain with commanding views across the city center.
- The Monastery is the most colossal temple and sacred site and the most difficult to reach. It requires walking up over 970 carved sandstone steps and pathways to reach it. You could spend several days hiking to see all of Petra.
Store in Petra
- In the summer of 2007, more than 90 million people cast their votes to determine which architectural marvels in the world deserved to be one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. There were a total of twenty-one landmarks vying for that title.
- Of the Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, only the Great Pyramids in Giza, Egypt still stand. The pyramids were given an automatic spot after infuriated Egyptian officials said it was a disgrace to have to compete for something that had belonged to their country for so long. I agree! We saw them in 2007.
The Monastery
- It is our goal to see all twenty-one landmarks. Also, Chris and I have collectively seen a lot of the twenty-one, however, not together. So the rule is, we go back and see all of them together!
New 7 Wonders of the World we’ve been to:
#1 Chichen Itza, Mexico – 2005
#2 Great Wall of China – 2010
#3 Machu Picchu, Peru – 2012
#4 Christ the Redeemer, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 2012
#5 The Colosseum, Rome, Italy – 2012
New 7 Wonders of the World Runner Ups we’ve been to:
#9 Statue of Liberty, New York – 2005
#10 Sydney Opera House, Australia – 2005
#11 Hagia Sophia, Istanbul – 2007
#12 Acropolis, Athens – 2007
#13 Angkor Wat, Cambodia – 2010
#14 Eiffel Tower, Paris – 2010
#15 Stonehenge, England – 2011
#16 Easter Island, Chile – 2013