The Grand Canyon located in the American state of Arizona is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world, where millions of tourists come every year and see this great masterpiece of nature.
Last year in 2018, the number of tourists visiting here is said to be more than 6 million, out of which a large number were American citizens. Tourists from different parts of the world and countries come here and enjoy the natural scenery here. This masterpiece of nature is actually a fissure inside the earth that ripped open the chest of the earth. This crack went to a depth of one and a half kilometers.
The Colorado River, the largest river in America, flows in its bottom. According to geologists, this eruption happened 6 million years ago. As soon as this fissure occurred, the river made its way through it. The Colorado River plays an important role in the US economy as it supplies the water needs of much of the US. Entering Arizona from the state of California, this river has to be crossed by a bridge.
During my stay at Indiana University, USA in 2012-13, I had the opportunity to visit 22 US states, from New York and Washington DC to Los Angeles and from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. I had wanted to visit the Grand Canyon National Park for a long time but was not getting the opportunity. In July 2013, my uncle, Dr. Ehsanul Haq Qazi, who lives in California, invited me specially. Although these were the last days of my stay in America, I accepted this attractive invitation and left for the state of Arizona from the state of California along with my family.
Although the trip started early in the morning, it was late evening by the time we reached the Grand Canyon. The experience of passing through the wide expanses of American deserts was very fascinating. After a short stay at the hotel, we proceeded towards the main destination. After a while this magnificent masterpiece of nature was in front of our eyes. The rays of the setting sun and the moving shadows falling on the colorful rocks added to their charm.
Thousands of tourists from different countries of the world were seeing this charisma of nature with their own eyes. On February 26, 1919, this area got the status of a US National Park, after which the US government took it under its custody and arranged many facilities for tourists.
There are spacious parking lots, restaurants and residential hotels here. Many viewpoints have been built to view the scenic views of the grand valley from where tourists can enjoy the scenic views of the valley.
A flowing river is also visible from some places but the way to reach it is very difficult. Many mountaineers reach by hiking trails and then return by evening, but most people enjoy the scenery from the top. The depth of the river from the surface is about one and a half kilometers. The colorful rocks offer a beautiful view of the interior of the earth. This is the best place if one wants to see the inside of the earth.
There are numerous small and large caves inside the rocks on both sides, in which many carvings have been made, which proves that this area has been the home of the ancient Red Indian tribes of America. The descendants of these tribes still exist today and have many legal rights. The business of gambling houses (Casinos) is in their hands throughout America.
They proudly say that they are the real owners of American soil. Many films have depicted the Bodobash of the Redandian tribes of old. Some of these tribes lived in the caves of the Grand Canyon. Many species of rare wild animals and birds add to the beauty of this enchanting valley even today. Thousands of rare plants and trees are also present in these valleys.
The Grand Canyon is a place of special interest to geologists. According to his research, the bottom layer of the cracked earth contains most of the minerals, especially granite, which came into existence 2.5 billion years ago. The layers above it are of Limestone which is 540 million years old.
The uppermost layers were formed three hundred million years ago and are also mostly limestone. The rock layers of the Grand Canyon are an excellent reflection of geologic history. Even today, thousands of geologists are continuing their research here.
In some places, there are also layers of black colored lava that erupted in the last thousand years. Earth eruption occurred six million years ago today, as a result of which this natural wonder of the world came into existence. Its total length is 450 km while the maximum width is 29 km. The minimum width is six kilometers.
Here both seasons come with their intensity. In winter, it snows and the temperature reaches minus 20 degrees Celsius. In summer, the temperature here reaches 50 degrees Celsius. Deer and Nile cows are frequently seen here. Due to the prohibition of all kinds of hunting, wild animals are seen roaming freely, but sometimes they come and sit in the middle of major highways and tourists get a chance to take pictures.
The rocks of the Grand Canyon offer a fascinating sight thanks to the many colors they contain. Most of the rocks consist of dark red clay and stones. Due to its natural beauty and charm, this valley has been a special attraction for Hollywood filmmakers. Many movie scenes have been filmed here, thanks to which this natural wonder became popular all over the world and millions of tourists started coming here.
Some airlines offer helicopter service for aerial tours of the Grand Canyon. These helicopters pass through the valley and the tourists sitting on them enjoy the natural scenery. There are many hotels and restaurants for accommodation and food. Commercialization reigns everywhere. From entry fee and parking fee to many other expenses, tourists also have to pay.
The sunset scene here is very charming when the shadows moving with the sun’s rays fill the color of the rocks with light. To see this scene, thousands of tourists hang their cameras around their necks and sit down for a long time and then capture the entire sunset scene in their cameras.
The shadows of the evening began to fall and I sat down on a rock mound like the others. This Hussain and Jameel masterpiece of nature was in front of my eyes. A beautiful bird came and sat near me. Just as I was watching it, it took a long flight and disappeared into the deep blue valleys. I was jealous of this bird’s fate. Then suddenly the sunlight began to fade.
I was wondering how great this masterpiece of nature is, how great must be its creator. How great and superior must he be who created this entire universe, created the earth, the sky, the moon, the stars and the planets. How miserable are those people who come to see the industry but do not think about the industry.
The faith of those who believe in God becomes even stronger by coming here because it is their faith that all this has been created by their Lord. Understand that the creator and owner of the earth and sky has given the human race an opportunity to think and understand by tearing a small part of his land.
The Grand Canyon is a very attractive destination for mountaineers. While many high-profile tourists see the inside of the mountain by helicopter or small plane, avid mountaineers walk down dangerous routes to the river below and come back touching the water. . Caves built by the ancient American inhabitants can also be seen in the rocks of the mountains.
Before the discovery of America, this entire area was owned by ancient tribal people known as Indians. It should be noted that American Indian tribes have nothing to do with our neighboring country. These ancient Native Americans lived with wild animals. They hunted and ate them and lived a very barbaric life.
In 1556, three soldiers who went from Spain to America were surprised when they saw this place for the first time. He mentioned this place in his report back to his country. Thus the world became aware of the existence of this natural wonder. In winter, the whole area is covered with snow and many Hollywood people come here to shoot films.
Former US President Roosevelt loved this place. They came here many times to hunt. During his time, the Grand Canyon was given the status of a US National Park. There is a huge watch tower in the eastern part of the park, where people climb the stairs to enjoy the natural scenery from the height. A Native American village is also located in the area.
These nominally dressed tribal people see the way of tourists, welcome them, take them for a tour of the mountains on mules and eventually try their best to empty their pockets. They even charge money from those who take pictures with them. Dr. Ehsan Qazi told us that he has achieved the honor of climbing the Grand Canyon in Alam Shabab. We stayed at the Grand Canyon Hotel for two days to see this masterpiece of nature and had several encounters with wild animals, mostly antelopes and wildebeests.
Our next destination was Monument Valley on the border of Arizona and Utah. Natural masterpieces made of deep red clay and rocks characterize this park. These natural masterpieces are featured in many Hollywood movies as well as on advertisements and calendars. The park is owned by the Navajo tribe of Native Americans and all revenue goes to the tribe.
Around 27 km of the trek inside the park is on a dirt road made of red mud. The people of the Navajo tribe consider this valley as a sacred valley according to their religious belief because their ancestors worshiped these natural masterpieces as gods. The current generation of the tribe also holds more or less similar views. We covered a distance of 27 km in this valley of wonders in two hours. Due to heavy rain, our car had changed its color. We went closer and observed the strangely shaped clay mounds that were exposed millions of years ago and their shapes kept changing along with the vicissitudes of time.
After finishing the visit to Navajo Park, I was very tired, so I decided to return. On reaching the state of New Mexico, we stayed at a hotel. Coincidentally, that day was Charlie Day, which is America’s Independence Day. Americans were showing their love for their country through fireworks in every city and town.
Wherever he passed that day, he saw the American people celebrating in the darkness of the night. The next day’s journey was also very long. Once again entering the state of Arizona from the state of New Mexico, our next destination was the Petrified Forest National Park. Spread over a wide area, the desert used to be a forest millions of years before humanity, then as a result of an earthquake or geological change, this forest sank into the earth.
Spread over a vast area of 380 square kilometers, this national park is important in the sense that there are thousands of tree fossils that amaze the human mind. Millions of years ago, the trunks of very tall and thick trees buried in the earth’s bosom have turned into fossils and turned into stones. These fossils are scattered throughout the park.
Millions of tourists come here every year and see these magnificent examples of nature’s creation with interest. Some people even try to steal small stones, but the security system at the gate of the park catches this theft and then they have to give it back. There is also a small museum inside the park that houses dinosaur skeletons and other items in addition to fossil specimens. The trunks of the most massive trees, five to 10 feet in diameter, have become harder than stone. These trees, which have been buried in the chest of the earth for millions of years, have attracted the attention of tourists from all over the world.
A variety of animals and birds are found in this forest of rocky trees. The nearby desert is called the Painted Desert. Apparently, it looks as if someone has bathed the rocks in this desert with colorful pigments, but this is not the case, these rocks are naturally colored. Their different layers of red, white, black and almond-colored soil and stones present such a fascinating sight that the human mind is stunned. How beautifully the creator of the universe has created the universe, every particle of it is testifying to the existence of its creator.
Passing through the Painted Desert, our car was on another major highway leading to the resort area of Sedona. It is a mountainous region of the state of Arizona known for its natural beauty and deep red soil. Large red mudflats in the distance add to Sedona’s beauty.
