A mobile virtual reality (VR ) walking tour allows tourists to see Jerusalem as it was 2,000 years ago.
Ever wished you could see what Jerusalem looked like at the time of the Second Temple 2.000 years ago? Now you can thanks to the magic of a new mobile VR walking tour. The tour allows visitors to experience the city’s historic sites using the power of virtual reality technology.
The VR walking tour is the first of its kind in the country.
The mobile VR walking tour is the first of its kind in Israel and has been designed to take tourists on a unique experience that is led by a guide.
The tour begins with the Tower of David Museum and then works its way through the Old City with viewpoints at the Western Wall, the Jewish Quarter, Robinson’s Arch, and the Cardo. The tour shows visitors how Jeruesalem looks today and, when they wear the VR headsets, how it looked during the Herodian time period. The wearable tech allows them to obtain a full picture and deeper understanding of this time.
The VR tour is the result of the Tower of David Museum and the TOD Innovation Lab collaborating with Australian company Lithodomos VR. The tour reportedly becomes available to the general public on Sukkot, which begins on September 23rd, reported Cleveland Jewish News.
Samsung Gear VR headsets are given to visitors taking the mobile VR walking tour.
Those who take the tour, are loaned a Samsung Gear VR headset and a Samsung Galaxy 7 phone. They are also provided with personal earphones. The tour is designed to give visitors the chance to experience different elements of socialization in Israel’s ancient city, from religion to commercial activity.
“Certainly, the grandest building period in Jerusalem’s history is that which took place during the reign of King Herod,” Eilat Lieber, the Tower of David Museum director, said about the new VR experience.
“From the Second Temple to the Antonia Fortress, from the hippodrome to the theater, the public monuments, the 
markets and the streets, Herod’s Jerusalem was one of the greatest cities of antiquity.”
Lieber is thrilled about the new mobile VR walking tour and about the possibility that it will encourage visits to the historic city.
