Jordan Times
Friday, October 19, 2007
Petra to be inaugurated as New
7 Wonder in December
By Taylor Luck
AMMAN - Petra will be the first of the New Seven Wonders of the World to be
inaugurated later this year, New 7 Wonders President Bernard Weber and Minister
of Tourism Osama Dabbas announced on Wednesday.
The inauguration will take place in mid-December, making Petra the first
validated new wonder of the world. The other six wonders will be unveiled over
the next two years.
Petra was named one of the New 7 Wonders of the World at a special ceremony in
Lisbon on July 7, 2007.
The 2000-year-old rose- red city ranked second, with the Great Wall of China
taking first place.
Brazil’s Statue of Christ Redeemer, Peru’s Machu Picchu, Mexico’s Chichen Itza
pyramid, the Colosseum in Rome and India’s Taj Mahal were named the other New 7
Wonders of the World.
According to the New 7 Wonders organisers, a tally of 100 million votes were
cast since voting for the global campaign kicked off in March 2006. People
around the world cast their votes over the Internet and by cell phone text
messages.
Media from across the world will cover the inauguration, which will feature live
entertainment, a possible re-enactment of Nabataean life, and the unveiling of a
large tablet inscribed with the distinction.
“The culture of Jordan will be transported to citizens around the world,” Weber
said, adding that it is not enough to merely make an announcement. He stressed
that his organisation is committed to the long-term preservation and promotion
of the new seven wonders.
Future plans includes 3D mapping of each site, forums on sustainable tourism,
and perhaps a permanent museum to preserve their legacy and history, he added.
Weber highlighted the importance of 3D mapping as it would provide an
opportunity to recreate each of the seven wonders for a travelling tour, and
give officials a map to work by in case a site is damaged by a natural disaster.
He said the forums on sustainable tourism would work on how such magnets can
attract tourists, adding that lesser known sites in the Kingdom could benefit
from Petra’s newfound international attention.
On Thursday, Prime Minister Marouf Bakhit met with Weber to discuss the event,
and Petra’s importance to Jordan’s future in tourism.
Carved into soft sandstone more than two millennia ago, the once bustling city
was the capital of the Nabataean Arabs, who controlled the trading routes that
passed through Petra to Gaza in the west, Basra and Damascus in the north, Aqaba
in the south, and across the desert to the Arabian Gulf.
Although Petra’s uniqueness made it stand out in the global competition, it was
the Jordanian people who made the distinction possible, according to the
campaign organisers.
“Jordan had such palpable enthusiasm - from officials and ministers to the
average person,” New 7 Wonders Communication Director Tia Viering told The
Jordan Times.
“When Petra won, it was not just a celebration, but recognition of what it could
do for the country and transform its image,” she added.
According to Viering, making Petra the first new world wonder to be inaugurated
is an important part of an overall effort to break negative perceptions of the
Arab world and shed a positive light on a region marred by war, economic
hardship and political tensions.
Meanwhile, the rest of world is beginning to take notice of the New 7 Wonders of
the World, which are entering textbooks and are the subject of student projects
submitted by 5,000 schools. Petra’s status was even in a question on the US quiz
show “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?”
Also on Wednesday, Weber promoted the 7 Wonders of the Natural World - sites,
monuments, and landscapes which have not been significantly altered by man. The
Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth, is eligible to be nominated, giving Jordan
yet another chance to be recognised on the world stage. Nominations will
continue until late 2008, when experts will select the final 21 sites to be
voted on in 2009.