The Embassy of Peru, in cooperation with the Katara Cultural Village Foundation, recently inaugurated the ‘Qhapaq Ñan: The Great Inca Road’ exhibition in Building 47, which will conclude today, Thursday.
The exhibition is featuring 32 photographic panels inspired by the beauty of the diverse landscapes of Peru and its rich culture. In his opening remarks on the occasion, the Ambassador of Peru to Qatar HE Jose Benzaquen Perea highlighted the stunning beauty, attractive landscapes, and ancient history of his country, which have made it a popular tourist destination.
Present on the occasion were Saif Al Dosari, deputy general manager, Katara and manager Human Resources, a large number of diplomats, guests and art lovers.
Perea pointed out the legacy of the Inca civilization, which was an ancient empire built by the Inca people in South America. He also explained the importance of Qhapaq Ñan Road in facilitating communication between peoples and civilizations.
The Great Inca Road is one of the most important human creations. It is a vast network of roads that winds its way through the diverse terrain of the Andes Mountains. The Inca Road allowed not only for the connection of villages in different regions, but also for the exchange of social, economic, cultural, technological, political, and ideological values.
The Qhapaq Ñan was the backbone of the Inca Empire. It connected the inhabitants of Tawantin Suyu, the Inca Empire, and the provincial centres that were administered from the city of Cusco, the centre of the world. Even after five centuries, the Qhapaq Ñan is still used by many people in the Andean region to communicate with each other. Among them, many traditions are associated with the knowledge and practices of their ancestors, which are still maintained.
The Peruvian envoy praised the efforts of Katara Cultural Village in building bridges of communication between the cultures of Peru and other countries.
According to UNESCO World Heritage Convention, Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System is an extensive Inca communication, trade and defence network of roads and associated structures covering more than 30,000 km. Constructed by the Pre-hispanic Andean communities over several centuries, the network reached its maximum expansion in the 15th century, during the consolidation of the Tawantinsuyu, when it spread across the length and breadth of the Andes. The network is based on four main routes, which originate from the central square of Cusco, the capital of the Tawantinsuyu.
These main routes are connected to several other road networks of lower hierarchy, which created linkages and cross-connections. As many as 137 component areas and 308 associated archaeological sites, covering 616.06 km of the Qhapaq Ñan, highlight the achievements of the Incas in architecture and engineering along with the associated infrastructure for trade, storage and accommodation as well as sites of religious significance.
The road network was the outcome of a political project implemented by the Incas linking towns and centres of production and worship together under an economic, social and cultural programme in the service of the State.
The Qhapaq Ñan, Andean Road System is an extraordinary road network through one of the world’s most extreme geographical terrains used over several centuries by caravans, travellers, messengers, armies and whole population groups amounting to up to 40,000 people. It was the lifeline of the Tawantinsuyu, linking towns and centres of production and worship over long distances. Towns, villages and rural areas were thus integrated into a single road grid. Several local communities who remain traditional guardians and custodians of Qhapaq Ñan segments continue to safeguard associated intangible cultural traditions including languages.
The Qhapaq Ñan, by its sheer scale and quality of the road, is a unique achievement of engineering skills in the most varied geographical terrains, linking snow-capped mountain ranges of the Andes, at an altitude of more than 6,600 metres high, to the coast, running through hot rainforests, fertile valleys and absolute deserts.
It demonstrates the mastery of engineering technology used to resolve myriad problems posed by the Andes’s variable landscape by means of variable road construction technologies, bridges, stairs, ditches and cobblestone
pavings.
