Petra: Her Majesty Queen Rania on Tuesday accepted the official certificate of candidacy announcing Petra as one of the 21 finalists for the "New Seven Wonders of the World" initiative from founder Bernard Weber.
A day-long festival yesterday, designed to celebrate the cultural diversity and heritage of the ancient city included reenactments of Roman and Nabataean life.
Traditional music and a recreated marketplace in front of the Treasury added to the excitement surrounding Queen Rania's visit and the official nomination.
"The magical rose-red city of Petra is like nothing else on earth. It is a remarkable testimony to the human spirit, etched for all time in sandstone and shale," is how the Queen described the 9,000-year-old city.
"Petra is more than just an archaeological treasure, Petra, I believe, offers an enduring message to all mankind. In Petra, human beings -- ordinary mortals like you and me -- saw potential beauty and grandeur in walls of sheer stone. They imagined the possibility of elegance and splendour where others would see only a barren and desolate wilderness," she added.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities and chairman of the Jordan Tourism Board Osama Dabbas said it is a well-deserved honour to have Petra nominated by the competition.
"Petra's nomination to this international competition is an appreciation of this grand historic and cultural site, and shall place the rose-red city on its well deserved spot on the international tourist and heritage map", the minister said.
As the New Seven Wonders of the World video production crew were filming and documenting Petra to include in its promotional videos Weber said the initiative is a unique opportunity for the citizens of the world to "make history by creating seven symbols of unity that celebrate the cultural diversity of the world."
He added that more than 23 million votes from around the world have been cast so far and Petra was "doing very well and in the top half of the 21 wonders."
Although they welcomed the interest in Petra, conservation experts warned that the almost certain increase in numbers of tourists visiting the site could have negative ramifications and the fragile sandstone of Petra might suffer irrevocable damage if proper reform policies are not enacted to handle the expected influx.
Aysar Akrawi, executive director of Petra National Trust, said efforts have been made to accommodate tourists.
"In principle there is an operational plan for Petra to balance tourism and conservation," she said, adding that Petra could handle more tourists if their flow is regulated.
"You can't have 1,000 people passing through the Siq at one time. They are just like a can of sardines then," Akrawi told The Jordan Times.
A study conducted in 1995 found that Petra had a capacity of 2,000-2,500 tourists per day, when horses were allowed into the city. After horses were limited to just the Siq, the capacity increased to 3,000-3,500 per day.
Alternative entrances, better tourist facilities -- including improved infrastructure and a new capacity study -- are needed to manage and absorb the increased numbers of visitors, according to Akrawi.
"Definitely tourism will affect conservation efforts if the tourists are not properly regulated," she said, summing up the common sentiment of many of officials and conservationists.
Chris Tuttle, assistant director of the American Centre of Oriental Research in Amman, said planning is the key to handling more tourists.
"It all boils down to what the tourists are doing," said Tuttle. "If people carve their names into the stone, then we've got problems."
May Shaer of the Department of Antiquities said several conservation projects have been implemented and many are in the works.
She added that efforts by the Petra National Trust, such as reconstructing Nabataean dams along the Siq, had "greatly reduced the impact of flash floods and dramatically improved the safety of the visitors."
Meanwhile, the Jordanian blogosphere is abuzz with support for Petra in the competition.
Many bloggers have posted the official banner from the Jordan Tourism Board on their blogs and urged readers to vote for Petra.
"Regardless of the final vote count, a good outcome this fervent campaign would be for us Jordanians to realise that we just can't keep taking this treasure for granted. It's visiting Petra, rather than voting for it that should be a national duty," Jordanian blogger Lina Ejeilat posted on her blog.
By Ramsey G. Tesdell
© Jordan Times 2007
