Virtual reality tour gives insights into biblical Jerusalem

The "Step into History" project offers visitors the opportunity to "walk through the streets of Jerusalem and not only enjoy the present, but also take a look into the past".

There is no lack of historical traces in Jerusalem. However, many former buildings have been overlaid by others or are lost in today's urban clutter. The towers of the citadel, the rows of columns at the market, the magnificent interiors of the temples - pictures and reconstructions bear witness to the city's rich history. But what it actually looked like in Jerusalem 2000 years ago can sometimes only be guessed at with difficulty. A museum located within the walls of the old fortress is now taking a new approach and allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the world of Jesus' time: Tours with virtual reality glasses.

Just in time for the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles this month, the Tower of David Museum wants to launch. The "Step into History" project offers visitors the opportunity to "walk through the streets of Jerusalem and not only enjoy the present, but also take a look into the past," says museum director Eilat Lieber.

Series of 360-degree simulations

It was not the first project of this kind for the Lithodomos VR team. Previously, the graphic designers and historians of the Australian start-up had already created comparable animations for London, Rome and Athens. "With Jerusalem in particular, however, it was a big challenge to really get everything right," says company founder Simon Young. "There are so many different opinions about what Jerusalem looked like in ancient times." The goal, of course, was to represent everything "as correctly as possible".

"Innovation Lab

The Davidsturm Museum created the appropriate setting for this. In a room that was used by the local governor during the Ottoman period, the Innovation Lab was created in October 2017. Here, start-ups like Lithodomos VR work on improving the visitor experience with the help of new technology.

On the new virtual reality tour, participants are taken to a total of nine locations by a tourist guide. The starting point is the citadel, which in its present form dates mainly from the Ottoman period. From there, the tour leads through the alleys of the Jewish Quarter to the remains of the so-called Second Temple. To avoid collisions with the real world, the virtual reality glasses are removed on the paths between the individual stations.

At the selected sites, a narrator provides background information on the historical significance of the buildings that can be seen through the glasses - on the columns on the former main street Cardo, on the imposing towers of the fortress built by Herod and on the opulent furnishings of the palace. All in all, the virtual reality tour lasts about two hours, according to the museum.

Bringing history to life

The tour is limited to places within the Jewish Quarter of the Old City. The Old City is located in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which was conquered by Israel in 1967, but which the Palestinians claim as the capital of a future state of their own. The area is fiercely contested because it contains holy sites of both Judaism and Islam as well as Christianity.

Young from Lithodomos VR emphasises that his team would like to add more historical dimensions to the virtual reality tour in the future, for example to give visitors an understanding of the Jerusalem of the Crusaders. But even in its current form, the tour is generating enthusiasm. The virtual insights "bring history to life," says Australian tourist Judy Magnusson, who was allowed to take part in a test run on Monday before the official launch. It makes the narratives about the city's past seem "even more realistic".

Source: Bluewin