Petra, founded at the end of the 8th century BC, is one of the oldest cities we know of and is considered one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. In Barcelona, there is a fascinating way to discover it: with a virtual reality experience that can be enjoyed from the comfort of a chair and is suitable for all ages. It is called Petra: the glory of the Nabataeans and can be found on the ground floor of the Reial Cercle Artístic. You can get your tickets here.
In addition, at Reial Cercle Artístic you can enjoy another virtual reality experience, Mozart and Vienna: a magical journey through music. There is the option to purchase a combined ticket for both experiences, which will give you a 20% discount ( this option will appear on the ticket sales website).
Enjoying history firsthand
When we talk about Petra, you probably remember its famous Al Khazneh (The Treasury) building. Extremely well preserved and immortalized in films such as Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, this monument can be visited if we take a trip to Jordan. But what was it like in the heyday of the Nabataean civilization?
Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans shows us in great detail what it was like in its heyday. In addition, the experience takes you on a tour of other sites in the Rose City, built on red stone (hence its name). All this is possible thanks to the “magic” of state-of-the-art virtual reality.
This virtual journey is enjoyed with VR glasses and sitting 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 immerse us even more in the history of Petra. These effects make it an even more immersive virtual reality experience, as in most cases the sensations are limited to sight and hearing.
Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans will not only showcase the architectural beauty of the city, but also its daily life. Thanks to total immersion (with the aforementioned scents and carefully crafted sound effects), we will be transported into everyday life, with a pleasant stroll through the market where incense, spices, textiles, and all kinds of products were sold.
This will allow us to discover how Petra was a very advanced city for its time thanks to the work of its inhabitants, the Nabataeans: it had sophisticated water storage systems and played a crucial role in ancient trade routes.
Although the Nabataeans were not the only ones to innovate in water storage (at that time the Romans were building aqueducts), their advances were very commendable: Petra had no nearby drinking water reserves (there are no rivers in its location), so all the water stored came from rain, and every drop was a treasure.
An experience suitable for all audiences
All these milestones will be explained to us on this immersive journey, a perfect cocktail of entertainment and highly educational information. And it will be done by an exceptional guide: a mystical Djinn who will accompany us at all times. This supernatural figure, a kind of genie from Eastern cultures, will be our friendly voice on this journey by land, water, and air, and will speak in the language of our choice: Spanish, Catalan, English, French, Arabic, or Russian.
Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans is a perfect experience for all ages: it will be enjoyed by adults who love archaeology and want to enjoy new experiences, as well as by children, who will have fun with virtual reality and learn a history lesson as if it were a game. Of course, older people will also be seduced by this highly original cultural plan.
What’s more, it’s suitable for all kinds of social situations: you can go with friends, as a couple, with your family, or even on your own.
And unlike other types of experiences, which require certain knowledge, Petra: The Glory of the Nabataeans is designed for everyone. All you have to do is sit in the chair, put on the glasses, and let yourself be carried away. Furthermore, although it is a multisensory experience, it is very relaxing, making it suitable for sensitive people who are easily overwhelmed by some virtual reality activities with lots of stimuli or sudden movements.
