The ancient city of Petra / Ma’an, Jordan&&Machu Picchu / Cusco, Peru

The ancient city of Petra / Ma’an, Jordan

The Ancient City of Petra, famous for its rock-cut architecture and water conduit system, located between the
Gulf of Aqaba and the Dead Sea in Jordan, was the capital of the Nabataeans, between 400 BC and 106 AD.
The city which continued to be the capital until it was occupied by the Roman Empire declined after 400 AD
due to seism and economic difficulties and was forgotten in time. In Petra, buildings such as theatre, temple
and homes were carved into limestone. The best known structure in the ancient city is the amphitheatre dating
from the Roman period. To the question, “what is so different from other ancient cities?” the answer is definitely
“limestone”! This stone provides a magic atmosphere to the city. It is also the reason why many adventure movies
were shot in Petra. Among the best known are, ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade’ produced in 1989, and
‘The Mummy Returns’. The surrounding canyons are yet another factor of attraction

Machu Picchu / Cusco, Peru

Machu Picchu is an Inca city. The beauty of this ancient city, situated
in the Urubamba Valley at the summit of the Andes, at an
altitude of 2 thousand 360 metres fascinates everyone. At a distance
of 88 km from the Peruvian city of Cusco, it was established around
1450 by the Inca ruler Pachacutec Yupanqui. It was safeguarded
from the Spanish conquistadors who invaded these lands in 1532,
thanks to its hidden position in the mountains and remained untouched
by the invaders.
Machu Picchu is a scaliform city consisting of more than 200 stone
structures interconnected with each other through a ladder system.
3 thousand of the city’s stairs are still intact today. Its salient feature
is the fact that the city looks like a place hanging in the sky and
hidden between the top of the clouds. After the National Geographic
Society dedicated the April 1913 issue of its magazine to Machu Picchu,
the city gained sudden fame and became an important