http://maigoc2007.sports.sina.com.cn 2006-05-06 MAIGOC
The OCA Regional Forumfor West Asian National Olympic Committees 2006 kicks off its two-day schedulein Aqaba Jordon on May 4， of which the participants include Manuel Silvério，Vice-president of OCA and Chairman of the Board of Directors of MAIGOC.
Aqaba is a beautifulcoastal city lying in the south of Jordanabove the Red Sea. Together with the adjacentAncient City of Petra， a UNESCO World Heritage Site， as well as the Wadi RumDesert， it is a touristattraction featuring unique cultures. To make known the treasuries to theparticipants of the forum， the organizer Jordan Olympic Committee elaborates avisit tour to the ancient city and the desert as an appetizer of thesport-related meeting.
A tour was made on May3 to the 2000-year-old Ancient City of Petra. Petra was built up by the Nabataeans， anindustrious Arab people， among the red rose rocks. As an important part of theMaritime Silk Road in the ancient time， it is now impressing tourists aroundthe globe with its refined culture， massive architecture and ingenious complexof dams and water channels. The city had been buried and lost for more than1000 years before it was found in 1812. Entrance only through a narrow crevicein the rock， the legacy stuns the visitors with the ruins of imposing treasury，the theater seating 3000 people， palace， temple， monastery， houses， tombs andmarket， reconstructing a prosperous city in imagination.
Participants of the forum also paid a visit to the Wadi Rum Desert， the largest nature reserve of Jordan.
