See How Ancient Wonders Are Digitally Restored to Their Original Glory
One of the most interesting parts of the trip is to see human-built structures or natural wonders that have existed for hundreds or thousands of years (or at least what is left of them). The city or the landscape around them has changed, but these places give us a glimpse into the past. Even in those days (a few months ago) when we could pack our bags, buy a plane ticket and leave the country, we could only see what some of these ancient wonders look like today. But now, thanks to a new project , we can see six endangered United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) sites in all their original glory. Here’s how.
How to take a virtual time travel
You are probably familiar with the UNESCO World Heritage List , which includes 1,121 sites in 167 countries of significant cultural and / or natural importance. Part of this list includes a subset of 53 properties that are currently at risk for a variety of reasons (deterioration, war damage, over-tourism, etc.). To better understand these sites, architect Elena Popovich teamed up with an Australian insurance company to make animated gifs of the structural evolution of six of these endangered UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Six sites with computer visualization and animation:
- Hatra (Al-Jazeera – Iraq)
- Leptis Magna (Homs region – Libya)
- Palmyra (Tadmur, Homs Governorate, Syria)
- Portobelo San Lorenzo Fortifications (Colon Province, Cristobal District, Panama)
- Nan Madol (Temven Island, Federated States of Micronesia)
So, besides being interesting to watch, what is the purpose of this project? According to the people behind the project :
Time does not stand still. Human culture is built from moving parts. The way we define, preserve and interact with important objects says as much about us as the monuments themselves.
UNESCO sites such as Old Jerusalem remain part of everyday life, and some historians believe that the destruction of other monuments is history in itself. However, caring for the centuries-old knowledge and meanings embedded in the most endangered UNESCO sites seems to be a pretty good way to develop culture.
Meanwhile, there are actually quite a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the United States , so one of them might be within walking distance.