Egypt launches online application to reconstruct damaged antiques virtually

Cairo, Nov 12: Egypt launched a new digital filter application to reconstruct damaged ancient Egyptian artifacts at the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square and the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation. Dubbed the Interactive Mobile Application to Promote Egyptian Antiquities, the project uses Virtual Reality technology to show how the selected uncomplete items originally looked thousands of years ago.

The Instagram filters, designed by technology giant Meta and overseen by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, started with some ancient artifacts, including a rock statue of ancient Egyptian King Tutankhamun, said Ali Abdel-Halim, director general of the Egyptian Museum. He added that the project aims to promote and protect Egyptian culture by taking advantage of modern social media platforms, Xinhua news agency reported.

The official noted that the project also aims to allow visitors to virtually view damaged statues and artifacts in their full form by scanning a barcode installed under each statue. "This experience is also meant to boost cultural tourism in the country that is rich in historical heritage and monuments," Abdel-Halim said.

In recent years, Egypt has witnessed several major archeological discoveries, launched a number of new museums, and renovated many archaeological monuments to preserve its ancient heritage and boost tourism, a main source of the country's hard currency.