#873 Petra, Jordan

Probably on everyone's bucket list, Petra is one of the most amazing sites in the world and really deserves that place on the must-see list. Some would say that it was made famous by Indiana Jones, but it has been a wonder for millenia ever since the Nabataens built it in the centuries before Christ. Whether it is your first glimpse of the Treasury between the narrow slabs of rock (lit up in the morning sun, or in the afternoon shadows), or the hike up to the Monastery high above the valley floor, its grandeur, its seemingly perfect architecture, symmetry and form and its beautiful pink and red hues are only the beginning of the wonder. 

An enormous city complete with large ampitheatre, houses, government buildings, temples, and other structures, it was no doubt also filled with many temporary structures that form puzzle pieces long gone. The wind has softened many a line, fires lit by sheltering Bedouin have colored many a ceiling, and pathways have changed and been worn by many a donkey. It is beautiful architecture in its own right, but its magnificence is in that instead of being built up, it has been carved out of sold rock, and to enter a room that was once sold and to feel the space shows just what a feat of engineering it was. Oh, what a spectacular place it must have been!

The walk up the mountain to the sacrificial platform was fascinating -- something that no doubt many visitors would be happier to ignore. It was also not the natural formations that were so important -- the control of the water supply was what allowed the city to gain its strength. There are Greek, Syrian and Egyptian influences. Like so many other delights, it was hidden and unknown to the western world until 1812 

I dream of visiting its lesser-known cousin Medain Salah just over the border in Saudi Arabia. One day, I will!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra

#874 Ashgabat, Turkmenistan

The capital of Turkmenistan is one of the most bizzare cities I have ever visited. It feels like a ghost town, and is a frightening example of Totalitarianism at its worst. The longtime dictator of Turkmenistan who liked people to call him Turkmenbashi (father of the Turkmen), created the town from scratch after a 1948 earthquake flattened it, and it is a monument to himself in memory of his family killed there.

The buildings are statuesque and grand, if quite plain. They line the highways in repetition of white glamour. The monuments are bordering on idolatry: there was one in solid gold of Turkmenbashi himself which rotates with the sun so that he is always basking in the glory of light.

A curfew exists, and all tourists are restricted to their hotels and closely monitored. Soviet service (poor) survives, and the obligatory seedy nightclub vies with the in-house Chinese restaurant for tastlessness.

The soul of the city is in the outskirts where you can find the famous Tolkuchka bazaar. There, you can buy anything from a camel to sheep, to a teapot or a cup of tea. Many Chinese goods are imported, but they also have carpets, shawls, clothing, and foodstuff. Turkmen carpets are my favorite carpets in the world. The famous Bukhara carpets actually originate here!

In a spectacular location at the foot of the Kopet Dag mountains, with golden domes of newly built mosques, it is one of the hardest places in the world to visit, and has a long history despite its newness. The impressive Azadi mosque, Independence and Peace Monument, numerous museums and government offices survive, but in August 2010, Turkmenbashi's successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov removed the Arch of Neutrality (the golden Turkmenbashi statue!) from Parliament Square.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashgabat

#875 Chichen Itza, Mexico

In the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula likes Mexico's crowning historical glory of Mayan traditions: Chichen Itza. With one of the largest, most beautiful pyramids (El Castillo or the Temple of Kukulkan) that at equinoxes reflects a twisting serpent in its shadows, it is rare to see it without a swarm of tourists from nearby Cancun. Typical of most Mayan buildings it was a structure built over top of an older building, with that built on top of something else.


Near to the main square is the great ball court, one of thirteen such structures on the site, but an impressive structure in its own right, flanked by the Temple of the Jaguar and the Temple of the Bearded Man. You can see the "goals" in the walls, at a very high level above the ground making you wonder as to the complex rules of such a sport.

The skull carvings on the Skull Platform (Tzompantli) are an appropriate reminder of the frequent human sacrifices that took place during the Mayan era, evidence of which can be found at the bottom of the 60m wide Cenote Sagrada, where along with gems, pottery, wood and cloth were the skeletons of men and children.

Beautifully decorated buildings, the impressive complex known as the Group of a Thousand Columns, and the El Caracol Observatory all provide testament to the Mayans engineering, learning, arts and culture. I think I love the connection to the jaguar the most!

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chichen_itza