Cultural Heritage Re-exchange Using Extended Reality (XR): Communicating the Italian Influence on Egyptian Architecture

The late 19th century marked a significant period in Cairo's architectural landscape, driven by the influx of Italian migrants who established a diverse community. This paper emphasizes the importance of digitizing and communicating Italian-influenced buildings in Egypt through advanced technologies such as Extended Reality (XR), besides the Egyptian obelisk in Rome as those two elements are proof of the cultural heritage exchange happened between Italy and Egypt. These technologies aim to foster cultural heritage re-exchange, enhancing awareness of the architectural significance within both Egyptian and Italian contexts. By utilizing XR, this research highlights how the cultural and humanistic values of these structures can be preserved and communicated, promoting a deeper understanding and appreciation of cultural heritage. The study proposes the creation of virtual trails and a virtual bridge connecting Cairo and Rome, facilitating enhanced engagement and mutual understanding among users from diverse backgrounds, targeting cultural re-exchange. Through rich contextual information communication in these virtual experiences and creating a virtual bridge, the research advocates for cultural interpretation of the historical exchanges between Italy and Egypt. The methodology encompasses three phases: online inquiry and 1D, 2D, and 3D documentation for gathering the data needed to enrich the data elaboration phase through XR experiences. This structured approach aims to raise awareness regarding the importance of these architectural influences, ultimately contributing to a broader understanding of the intertwined cultural heritages of both nations.