French-Moroccan App Provides Virtual History Tours

Rabat – Morocco and France have developed an app to give virtual tours of Moroccan archeological sites to promote the country’s medieval heritage.

Launched on Wednesday, the “Route of Empires” application provides virtual tours to six archeological sites along a historical trade route. The sites are Agadir Oufela, Igliz, Sijimlasa, Nul Lamta, Zagora, and Akka.

“Over nearly a thousand kilometers along the northern shore of the Sahara, from Tafilalet to Oued Noun, stretched one of the most important trade routes of the economic and political system of medieval Africa,” the application’s website says.

The strategic road supported the foundation of key Moroccan empires in the Middle Ages such as the Almoravids (11th CE) and Saadians (16th CE), it added.

Developed by French research center Jacques Berque, “Route of Empires” is the fruit of cooperation between Morocco’s Ministry of Culture and the French Embassy in Morocco.

The application is available on Android and Apple stores for smartphone and tablet users. It offers 2D and 3D tours to the archeological sites with the 3D option only available online.

The users can save their favorite content to access it offline in the 2D format, similar to the Google maps display.

The French institutes in Rabat, Casablanca, Meknes, and Marrakech further offer 3D virtual tours.

On April 18, Bensaid launched the “Moroccan Heritage” label and celebration of the “Heritage Month” to promote the nation’s cultural heritage and contribute to the revival of the tourism sector following two years of disruption caused by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With nine cultural heritage sites registered by UNESCO, Morocco has the second most heritage sites in Africa, reflecting the richness of the country’s history and culture.

On March 14, Morocco and UNESCO celebrated the 10th anniversary of Rabat as a World Heritage site. Later that day, the Islamic World Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ICESCO) launched the celebrations of Rabat as the Islamic culture capital for 2022.