Petra, founded in the late eighth century BC, is one of the oldest cities on record and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. The virtual reality experience Petra: the glory of the Nabataeans, at the Reial Cercle Artístic, conquered us a few months ago until it closed its doors. But now we have good news: it has reopened and here you can get your tickets.
In addition, in Reial Cercle Artístic we can enjoy another virtual reality experience, Mozart and Vienna: a magical journey through music. There is the option of buying a joint ticket for both experiences, with which you will get a 20% discount (this option will appear on the ticket sales website).
Enjoying history in first person
If we talk about Petra you probably remember its famous building Al Khazneh (The Treasury). Tremendously well preserved and immortalized in movies like Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade or Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this monument can be visited if we make a trip to Jordan. But what was it like at the height of the Nabataean civilization?
Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans shows it in detail and as it was in its glory days. In addition, the experience includes a tour of other sites in the Rose City, built on the reddish stone (hence the name). All this is possible thanks to the “magic” of the latest generation of virtual reality.
This virtual journey is enjoyed with VR glasses and seated in an exclusive chair (patented by DreamVortex, creators of the experience). This very comfortable seat includes motion effects that allow us to feel the tremors of the ground, as well as multisensory effects of breeze and smells that introduce us, if possible, in the history of Petra. These effects make it an even more immersive virtual reality experience, since in most of the ones we can try the sensations are reduced to sight and sound.
Petra: the glory of the Nabataeans will not only show the architectural beauties of the city, but also its day-to-day life. Thanks to the total immersion (with the aforementioned smells and a careful sound environment) we will enter into the daily life, with a pleasant walk through the market where incense, spices, textiles and all kinds of products were sold.
This will make us discover how Petra was a city well ahead of its time thanks to the work of its inhabitants, the Nabataeans: it had sophisticated water storage systems and its role was crucial in the ancient trade routes.
While the Nabataeans were not the only ones to innovate in water storage (at the time the Romans were making aqueducts), their advances had much merit: Petra had no fresh water reserves nearby (there are no rivers in its location), so all the stored water came from rain, and every drop was a treasure.
An experience suitable for all audiences
All these milestones will be explained to us in this immersive journey, a perfect cocktail between entertainment and very didactic information. And it will be done by an exceptional guide: a mystical Djinn who will accompany us at all times. This supernatural figure, like a kind of genius of Eastern cultures, will be our friendly voice in this journey by land, water and air, and will speak in the language we prefer, to choose between Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Arabic and Russian.
Petra: the glory of the Nabataeans is a perfect experience for all ages: adults who love archeology and want to enjoy new experiences will enjoy it as much as children, who on the one hand will have fun with virtual reality and on the other hand will learn a history lesson as if it were a game. Of course, the older ones will also be seduced by a cultural plan of the most original.
In addition, it is suitable for all kinds of social situations: you can go with friends, as a couple, with your family or even alone.
And unlike other types of experiences, which require certain knowledge, Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans is designed for everyone, you just have to sit in the chair, put on your glasses and let yourself go. In addition, although it is a multisensory experience, it is a very relaxed one, so it is suitable for sensitive people who are particularly impressed by some virtual reality activities with lots of stimuli or sudden movements.
