Al Sultan Hassan and Al Rifai Mosques in Cairo, Egypt. Photo: Shutterstock
History buffs can now now take virtual tours of Egypt‘s historic archaeological sites.
The American Research Centre in Cairo and Google Arts and Culture have teamed up to create a digital platform called Preserving Egypt’s Layered History. The platform showcases numerous archeological sites through videos, stories, and tours, including an ancient Roman villa in Egypt and an ancient Egyptian tomb.
The site also features facts about Egypt’s history, the tour of the tomb of Menna in 3D, and interviews from various Egyptologists who have shared secrets from their field, including the American Research Centre in Egypt’s executive director in Egypt, Louise Bertini.
“I think what inspires me the most about ancient Egyptian’s way of life is how symbiotically they lived with the environment. it was the environment that influenced every aspect of their culture, religion and society,” says Bertini.
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The deputy director for research and programs at the American research center in Egypt, Yasmin ElShazly, states that she was inspired by how much the ancient Egyptians valued writing. “They believed writing was magic. They could write something or someone into being and erase them out of existence,” says ElShazly.
They also discuss the dangers that threaten ancient Egyptian heritage today. According to Bertini, the two biggest threats are environmental changes as well as population growth.
Preserving Egypt’s Layered History is not the first project of its kind that was made available in Egypt. Due to the pandemic, the Egyptian tourism authority launched several virtual tours as part of the experience Egypt From Home campaign in April last year. The virtual tours showcase important historical sites from different parts of the country — from the 5,000-year-old ancient tomb of Queen Meresankh II to the Red Monastery in Souhag.
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