At the extended 45th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and UNESCO organised a side event on the ‘Dive into Heritage’ initiative. This groundbreaking project will leverage digital technologies to explore and conserve UNESCO World Heritage sites and their related intangible heritage.

‘Dive into Heritage’ has been made possible through the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and has seen the team develop an online platform that will create unique ways to digitally experience World Heritage.

The platform harnesses the power of digital technology such as 3D models, Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), interactive maps and geo location narratives to recreate a truly accurate and immersive digital viewing experience.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Funds-in-Trust for Culture at UNESCO was established in 2019, following a commitment of USD25 million from the government to fund UNESCO projects in support of strategy and actions for the preservation of heritage.

Phase I from 2022 to 2024 of the ‘Dive into Heritage’ initiative will see the development of a platform that allows people to digitally discover World Heritage sites in the Arab States region.

A full public release of the platform is planned by the end of Phase I in 2024, when other regions will benefit from the ‘Dive into Heritage’ programme.

“The endless potential uses of Artificial Intelligence will allow us to transform the way in which people can experience heritage,” said Mr. Ernesto Ottone, assistant director general for culture at UNESCO.