Tourists can now virtually visit the Lihyan Tomb of Hegra in AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

The Unesco World Heritage site has been digitally recreated with a 3D model and rendered on Decentraland, a virtual platform powered by Ethereum.

It marks AlUla’s first foray into the metaverse, as well as the first time a UNESCO landmark has been depicted in the digital world.

Virtual tourists will be able to enter Hegra’s tomb, says the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), which visitors in the real world cannot. They will also be able to interact with virtual contact points to access detailed information about the destination.

The digital site also features a rendering of the surrounding desert landscape.

The move “represents an exciting evolution of AlUla’s unique heritage, acting as an open invitation…