CyArk, a non-profit organization that has already digitized numerous famous cultural sites around the world, gave the go-ahead for “Project Anqa” at the end of October. This project aims to digitize, document and archive endangered historical sites in Syria, Iraq and the Middle East. The project is a joint undertaking with the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). ICOMOS […]
CyArk, a non-profit organization that has already digitized numerous famous cultural sites around the world, gave the go-ahead for “Project Anqa” at the end of October. This project aims to digitize, document and archive endangered historical sites in Syria, Iraq and the Middle East. The project is a joint undertaking with the International Council of Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS). ICOMOS is a non-governmental global organization dedicated to the preservation and protection of cultural sites.
“The invaluable heritage of the ancient ‘cradle of civilization’ is in acute danger. The destruction in Palmyra and Mosul makes this abundantly clear,” says Ben Kacyra, president and co-founder of CyArk. “We have the digital technology at our disposal to create true-to-scale 3D models of these historic sites before they are damaged or destroyed.”
CyArk and ICOMOS will work with experts on the ground in the Middle East to survey cultural sites using real-capture technology such as 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry and traditional photography. The first site to be digitized as part of Project Anqa is the Ziggurat of Ur (Iraq).
Precise blueprints can be created from the data collected at each site. These can be used to rebuild damaged or destroyed sites. In addition, the digital monuments can be visited virtually thanks to the data library on the CyArk website. Almost 100 sites are currently available to the public and educational institutions via free virtual tours, 3D models and lesson plans.
Each site requires around 10,000 gigabytes of data. Converted into paper, this would be roughly equivalent to 200 truckloads. In order to manage this enormous amount of data from actual surveying work in an archive, CyArk relies on partnerships with leading companies in the technology industry.
About CyArk
CyArk is an international non-profit organization. It is dedicated to using 3D laser scanning, photogrammetry and traditional recording to create an online 3D library of cultural sites around the world, accessible to everyone, before they are lost to natural disasters, human conflict or the passage of time. Inspired by the destruction of the 1600-year-old Bamiyan Buddhas in Afghanistan by the Taliban, CyArk was founded in 2003. The organization aims to ensure that cultural sites are available for future generations and at the same time can be experienced in a unique way by today’s generation.
Read an interview about Palmyra with Hermann Parzinger, President of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation and director of numerous excavation projects.
