VIRTUAL PALMYRA: 3D RECONSTRUCTION OF THE LOST REALITY OF THE BRIDE OF THE DESERT

Abstract

Palmyra in Syria had been, with its Corinthian colonnades, amphitheater and splendidly built temples to ancient gods, source of inspiration and imagination for Western architecture. Virtual Palmyra project offers a glimpse of the grandeur and beauty of the ruins of Palmyra, none of which any longer remains. 3D models of the most significant structures of Palmyra, including Temple of Bel and Temple of Baalshamin which have been leveled as a result of conflict based vandalism , as well as the colonnaded street and the amphitheater are presented as ghost images through reconstructed 3D models. Focus has been in maintaining the accuracy and validity of the visualized data of the relics and environment of Palmyra, as they were once extant.