Armchair adventurers: A virtual tour of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s history

PESHAWAR:

A series of virtual tours of historical sites in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has been introduced online, officials at the Directorate of Archaeology and Museums told The Express Tribune on Tuesday.

With three new tours uploaded on the directorate’s website http://www.kparchaeology.com, travelling to these destinations is more a matter of bandwidth than buses or planes. The initiative has been established to revive interest in historical sites after years of deteriorating law and order in the province dealt a continuous and critical blow to the tourism industry.

Without a visa

So far, galleries of three historical sites – Peshawar Museum, the archaeological site of Takht Bhai and Swat Museum – have been uploaded on the website. Each one of these allows viewers to explore the sites and manipulate 360 degree panoramic views.

Tours of 10 other destinations are in the works and a hefty sum has been allocated in this regard. According to the officials, these virtual tours offer a glimpse of K-P’s archaeological treasures and consequently will promote tourism in the country.

“These tours take you to places which you might not be able to otherwise visit,” Director of Archaeology and Museums Dr Abdul Samad told The Express Tribune. “We have taken this step to also encourage foreign tourists to visit the province.”

Easy access

The directorate has tried to make these virtual tours as user-friendly as possible.

All galleries have been annotated with the names of the sites along with their pictures to familiarise visitors.  The tours are not too restrictive and do not leave people feeling short-changed by the experience. Every nook and cranny of these historical sites has been filmed and labeled and visitors have the option to explore any part of the monument.

Audios also accompany galleries, such as the rabab and tabla music embedded in the Takht Bhai’s online tour.

“We are using new technology to draw attention to these sites,” said Samad.

“We hope to make more such videos,” Samad said. “Funds have been allocated in this regard. This is our way of renewing interest in these historical sites among foreign tourists.”

Published in The Express Tribune, April 15^th, 2015.