2016 - News - Detail Page - Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz

The UNESCO World Heritage Site Palmyra gained sad notoriety in 2015: "The Queen of the Desert" was systematically destroyed by the Islamic State terrorist militia in full view of the world. The first serious damage to the ruined city was caused by fighting between rebels and Syrian government troops in 2013. It is uncertain whether reconstruction will ever be possible. ZDF/Terra X and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation have now digitally reconstructed the ancient metropolis in an elaborate VR project. Several virtual tours guide the viewer in 360° films through the highlights of the ancient city, such as the Bel Temple, the Roman theatre, the colonnades and Hadrian's Arch. All depictions of the ancient buildings correspond to the current state of research down to the smallest detail. The reconstruction is the result of close co-operation between archaeologists from the Museum of the Ancient Near East of the National Museums in Berlin and VR specialists from men@work Media Services S.R.L. and was produced by Stein Film Produktion in cooperation with ZDF and the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation.

ZDF Programme Director Norbert Himmler: "With this project, together with the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation, we have succeeded in making history tangible for future generations and bringing something that has been physically lost back to life."

Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation: "The destruction of Palmyra by IS was an attempt to deprive the people of Syria of their historical memory - a memory of a unique multicultural and multi-religious metropolis. The virtual reconstruction cannot be a substitute, but it can be an urgent call for the commitment to preserve and rebuild the World Heritage Site not to diminish."

"VR technology offers us outstanding opportunities to take users on a journey through time," says Peter Arens, Head of the History/Science department at ZDF. "Being able to experience Palmyra in its impressive beauty virtually for yourself illustrates even more clearly the cultural heritage that is being lost here."

The biggest challenges for the computer specialists were the amount of data and the complexity of the sites. In consultation with archaeologists from the Museum of the Ancient Near East, they checked that the layout and textures of the squares, streets and buildings were correct. Piece by piece, Palmyra's magnificent buildings were digitally reconstructed, with 80 kilometres of facade surface alone virtually constructed, modelled and textured on the computer. After over a year and more than 2,000 hours of work, Palmyra can now be experienced up close as a virtual reconstruction at vr.zdf.de or in the ZDF VR app (available for Android and iOS).

The most important parts of Palmyra can be explored in three self-contained tours of around five minutes each using VR glasses, a smartphone with Cardboard glasses or a desktop computer. In addition to the three city tours, the user is guided through a futuristically designed virtual museum in which historical photos and artefacts from Palmyra are presented.

Palmyra

In ancient times, the oasis city was one of the richest and most beautiful metropolises of its time - a melting pot of cultures and religions. As a symbol of diversity and tolerance, the city was targeted by the fanatical Islamic State terrorist militia in 2015. Evidence of an important past that had survived for over 2,000 years lies in ruins. Since the attacks, international research teams have been searching for a master plan for the devastated site. They are collating the results of a hundred years of research into Palmyra and documenting the damage.

This is not only about Syria's ancient heritage, but also about the cultural identity of an entire country. The actual reconstruction of the outstanding UNESCO World Heritage Site may seem a long way off given the current political situation. But thanks to the digital reconstruction of the oasis city, the cultural heritage of the Syrians can be experienced again, at least virtually.

ZDF has already explored the history and archaeology of Palmyra in several "Terra X" documentaries. All programmes as well as additional interviews about the history of Palmyra, its archaeological significance and possibilities for reconstruction can be found at: palmyra.zdf.de as well as a video about the making-of.

The Vorderasiatisches Museum has been involved in archaeological research in Syria and the preservation of its cultural assets for over 30 years through excavation and restoration projects. In addition to the publication of the results of the Syrian-German excavations at Tell Halaf from 2006 to 2010, a new exhibition concept for the presentation of the collection in the Pergamonmuseum is also being developed. In this context, the Palmyra holdings will also be made accessible to the public in future in order to thematise the after-effects of ancient oriental cultures.

The Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and the Museum of Islamic Art of the National Museums in Berlin have been involved in the "Syrian Heritage Archive Project" on Syria's cultural heritage for years. The project will be presented to the general public from Thursday 28 February 2019 in the exhibition 'Cultural Landscape Syria - Preserving and Archiving in Times of War' at the Pergamonmuseum: www.smb.museum/ausstellungen/detail/Kulturlandschaft-syrien.html