Google Digitizes Cultural Heritage Sites To Be Toured Virtually At Home

Fancy a trip to the most intriguing cultural and historical sites around the globe? Well, you can now take on the experience without leaving the comfort of your home.

Google has announced a partnership with the US Department of State’s Cultural Heritage Center to bring heritage preservation projects online, so you can explore the sights and sounds of the world’s wonders without setting foot on an airplane.

In essence, the State Department’s Cultural Heritage Center teams up with organizations to protect important sites from natural and manmade threats using the Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP), such as trafficking and looting or natural disasters and climate change. 

This partnership with Google allows the center to share over 1,100 of its Ambassador Fund projects spanning 130 countries with users anywhere, anytime.

One site that can be toured is the Gaddi Baithak, the former royal residence of Nepalese kings, which was restored after being hit by a major earthquake in 2015.

History buffs will also love diving into new images of a 13th-century mausoleum in Cairo, visiting a Buddhist temple in Thailand, or learning about how Great Zimbabwe is being protected through ecological restoration.

Head here to visit the site, where more stories and sites will be added in the future. 

[via Engadget and Google, cover image via Cultural Heritage Center, US Department of State / Google]