Even a small country like Lebanon is allowed to dream. With the Jeita Grotto bidding for a spot among the global New 7 Wonders of Nature list, this troubled little country may finally have a positive light shined on it.
The grotto was chosen by The New7Wonders (N7W) Foundation, a Swiss-based non-profit organization that recently launched the Wonders of Nature competition, for being a “natural site that has neither been created by nor significantly altered by humans for aesthetic reasons,” according to the N7W Foundation’s website.
The sites are voted on by the public, with three elimination rounds taking place until the final 7 are voted on. After making it through the first round of eliminations, the cave complex in central-north Lebanon is now competing with 260 attractions across the globe.
The grotto’s chances are looking good so far. It currently ranks seventh in its category, caves, rock formations and valleys. If it maintains its position, Jeita, along with the other top 77 nominees, will move on to the next stage, where it will be considered by the New7Wonders of Nature Panel of Experts, led by former UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor.
The panel members will then visit each of the finalists’ countries to give them a chance to present themselves to viewers across the globe, who will vote again to narrow the 21 down to the winning 7, to be announced in 2011. People around the world can vote for Jeita by phone or via email by visiting the website www.new7wonders.com
“The Jeita Grotto should maintain its spot for the panel to consider it for the final stage. But this requires the participation of millions of people because Lebanon is a small country, which limits the numbers of voters,” said Nabil Haddad, managing director of Mapas, the firm that operates the grotto.
“If the grotto makes it to the final stage, Lebanon will be given unprecedented media coverage,” he said. “This will benefit the whole country because it will attract tourists who will want to see many different parts of the country.”
Jeita’s underground wonder world has evolved slowly over the millennia, the cavernous inside being carved out by a steady stream of water, and enormous stalagmites and formed from calcium deposits made by drops of water. But the area surrounding the cave was not sheltered from destruction during the civil war.
According to Haddad, the infrastructure of the site—the roads that lead to it, the building where it managed and the underground parking lot were all destroyed during Lebanon’s vicious 15-year civil war. It took enormous effort for the reconstructions, but it has not gone to waste.
The grotto is not without controversy, with some environmentalists and public officials denouncing the operation of the site.
“Jeita is a public utility… not a restaurant or a club. It belongs to all the Lebanese people and it should be brought back to them through a law passed in parliament,” said Samir Baroud, the head of the Jeita municipality.
He said that the grotto should be better operated in order to address environmental concerns that relate to the calcification process in the upper gallery of the cave.
(...)
The grotto is competing in its category with sites such as the Grand Canyon in the US, the Rock of Aphrodite in Cyprus, Belogradchik Rocks in Bulgaria and the Rock of Gibraltar.
And it is not the only site in the Middle East competing for a spot on the list. Other sites in the region chosen for different categories include Saudi Arabia’s Al Hasa Oasis, Jordan’s Wadi Rum Desert, Egypt’s Mount Sinai, Bahrain’s Tree of Life and Iraq’s Mesopotamian Marshes and Wetlands.
The jury’s 21 finalists will be made on July 21, 2009 in a city that has yet to be announced.
The N7W Foundation has approached Lebanon as a potential host of the N7W of Nature announcement festival, but it appears to be more complicated locally.
“Although Beirut has appeared a popular choice in our poll of possible locations, unfortunately until now we have not received any official notifications of interest from the authorities in the Lebanon, and therefore unless this changes we assume that the Lebanon does not want to bid for this extraordinary event,” Stephanie Mc Namara of the N7W Foundation told NOW Lebanon.
“The costs that come with being host may add up to around $50 million,” Haddad said. “So this issue is up to the government. I am not certain whether Lebanese companies would sponsor it.”
With less than a month left to the elections and two weeks to consider city locations, Beirut’s chances may have passed.
Nonetheless, Lebanese across the globe are keeping their fingers crossed.
“I live in Australia but have visited Lebanon several times and I’ve been to Jeita twice,” said Zeinab Al Cheikh, 22. “My cousins and I were truly proud to know that this wonder belongs to Lebanon and when we were in the caves, the feeling was amazing. It really took our breath away,” she told NOW.
“Here in Australia, unfortunately whenever they hear [the word] Lebanon, they think about wars and they would not choose it as a country to go sightseeing. However, if they know about the grotto and the cedar trees, for example, and if they were advertised more, maybe things will change,” she said.
Voters can visit www.world7wonders.com to vote by email or call +41 77 312 4041 and enter code 416 for the Jeita Grotto. The voting continues through July 7, 2009.
http://www.nowlebanon.com/NewsArticleDe ... x?ID=93936
. I've never even used icq (i was an mIrc user) dnt have a facebook acount nor a twitter.
Already done my voting!
