I had read a few months ago about the international campaign for the new seven wonders of the world. Well, they finalized their new seven and announced them yesterday in a big celebration in Portugal.
The good news is that two of the seven are associated with Muslims. The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, which was built by the Mogul Ruler Shah Jahan, is clearly an example of Islamic architecture at its best. Note that I said Islamic, not Indian, for too many people, even Muslims, have allowed it to be seen as an icon of Indian culture. The Taj Mahal is something that Muslims all over should be proud of.
Now I have trouble being equally proud of the other 'Muslim' marvel, Petra in Jordan. Its nice to see this hidden gem of the Muslim world finally recognized as a wonder of the world. However, I can't but help think of its Quranic history as one of the perished nations (That second link has some *really* nice pics of Petra, so its hard not to be impressed by its wondrous construction and breathtaking architecture).
But I just can't get the following verse out of my mind: "And Thamud who carved the rocks in the valley" (89:9) Should we really be celebrating the accomplishments of a people who were cursed for eternity in the words of the Quran?
But I guess in this day and age, we should take what we can get, eh?
BTW, of the other 14 finalists who lost out in the voting, three have Islamic affiliations - AlHambra palace in Spain, Hagia Sophia in Turkey, and Timbuktu (home to one of the first universities in history, Sankore Madarasa) in Mali.
Oh and if you're wondering about the Pyramids, worry not for our dear Egyptian brothers felt themselves to be too good for the competition, claiming that the pyramids of Giza were the only wonder of the world and the competition "has no value", because "the masses do not write history".
Glad to see them taking a principled stance on issues that really matter.
Ad Infinitum
3 hours ago
10 comments:
nice to see Alhambra even made the nomination list
question - is there something that doesn't allow Masjids/Churches to be included? because surely the Holy Ka'bah and Masjid-al-Aqsa should have been there otherwise...
The Christ Redeemer thing is cool...I want to see the one in Peru...
In the words of a over-patriotic cousin of ours (whose first name starts with Faisal, and ends with Sarwar)...
"where is Minare-Pakistan"
Im surprised any of the supposed saudi skyscrapers didnt make the list. :)
I am almost sorry now that I asked nobody to vote for Islam/Muslim realted architechtural sites. Kremlin for example, is deeply influenced by Islamic architecture. Timbakutu would also have been nice.
You also mention the incredible Alhamra.
Anon, my guess is the Haramain (Mecca and Madina) didn't make the cut because they aren't tourist spots open for the public (only Muslims allowed). I saw this whole new 7 wonders as really a marketing gimic to boost tourism.
Ahhh...the great Minare-Pakistan ...some things can only be appreciated when kept secret. :-)
Arif, the Saudis took the Egyptian route - it would be an insult to have to compete against those other petty 'wonders'. :-)
I was doing a little indy research (googlequest) and I came across this interesting tidbit about the exploits of Hiram Bingham who "discovered" Machu Picchu:
According to Shaykh Wiki:
Peru is seeking through legal means to return thousands of artifacts Bingham removed from the Machu Picchu site.
You can thank me later...
:-)
Ahhh...gotta love those colonialists...
Other countries as well as Peru are demanding the recovery of cultural treasures removed by more powerful nations many years ago. The Greeks want the Parthenon marbles returned to Athens from the British Museum; the Egyptians want the same museum to surrender the Rosetta Stone and, on top of that, seek to spirit away the bust of Nefertiti from the Egyptian Museum in Berlin.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C00E6DA123FF937A15755C0A9619C8B63&sec=&spon=
Manas, Thanks for bringing up the Kremlin - I couldn't find anything explicitly stating that the St. Basil Cathedral was influenced by Islamic architecture.
Are we to assume that any building with dome-like structures or minaret-like pillars is influenced by Muslims? I don't have enough knowledge on the topic to say.
MrESPY, good find bro!
Its not enough that third world countries are being raped of their current resources, but even their historical legacies have been stolen.
But if it was up to me, I'd let the Museums keep the past, preferring to take back the present and the future.
BTW, the link to the NY Times article cited by MrESPY is here. It seems the link got cut off in his comment.
Salams,
Newsweek did not mention anything Islamically related to the Taj Mahal, which kind of disappointed me. Haven't checked out the other sources yet, I hope the NY Times knew better.
As for Petra, I don't see how it is related to Muslims. The Muslims were not the ones who built it as it predates Islam. But it is in Muslim lands :) Perhaps this will encourage people to go to Muslim lands and learn about Muslims then not be scared.
I had similar thoughts about the verse you posted though, but I was not sure if it referred to to Petra or another civilization. Anyways, greatp ost :)
Danya,
You are correct to point out that Petra has nothing to do with Islam historically (in fact, if you accept the interpretations of the verses from the two sites I linked, Petra is actually quite unIslamic.), but I see its significance in two ways. First, as you mentioned, its location is in a current Muslim country. Two, its a good reminder for Muslims to reflect on the stories of the past peoples.
That's why I'm not comfortable in outrightly rejecting visiting the place. No Muslim is going there to honor its history or glorify it. Worse case, they are simply going to marvel at its architectural feats. At best, they would silently reflect on the arrogant and self-destructive nature of man. Allah knows best.
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