The Cultural And Economical Impacts Of Using Virtual Heritage In Archaeological Sites In Egypt

Abstract

Egypt is among one of the world’s richest countries in the diverse architectural heritage resulting from the various civilizations that have arisen on the land of Egypt. However, the architectural heritage in Egypt suffers from multiple problems represented in the poor handling of the heritage site and the lack of protection for those sites. Which lead to the deterioration of the situation of some sites, and with the technological advances that the world is witnessing today in all spheres of life. Virtual Heritage Technology is emerging as one of the solutions that can be used in heritage sites in Egypt. This is one of the latest and most innovative technologies for the virtual environment, which is emerging as an integral part of it, and it is the reconstruction of historical sites as they were at the beginning of their construction. This depends on re-documentation of architectural buildings and heritage sites in detail through 3D models and holographic drawings. It also depends on many techniques and one of those that are often used in the applications of the virtual heritage are augmented reality technology, which is used to reconstruct archaeological sites in the site, by using tools or devices that support that technology, whether from portable smartphones or through devices that are worn like glasses and contact lenses. The virtual heritage technology offers many advantages to heritage sites, where it is considered historically as a digital documentation process for heritage which ensures that the artistic and historical value of buildings and heritage sites are preserved. It can also be used in the process of restoration of buildings; in addition to economic assistance in further enhancing heritage sites that attracts many tourists and visitors, which gives them the possibility to view the history of archaeological sites interactively; allowing them the sensory and intellectual integration with the site and this contributes to obtain historical information.
 This research will examine the possibility of utilizing the technology of virtual heritage through its application in the heritage sites in Egypt and the cultural and economic impact of the use of such technology on heritage sites. In addition, some virtual design cases will be discussed for heritage sites around the world and a SWOT analysis would be made to exemplify the challenges and discuss how they may be addressed. These examples are then presented to demonstrate how to deal with some of the difficulties, taking into account the arrival of proposals and recommendations that can be used and applied in Egypt.