Virtual Reality Opens a Portal to Yakutia’s Archaeological Secrets
A new VR tour brings the buried past of Siberia’s oldest city to life — no excavation required.
In Moscow’s “Russia—My History” historical park, visitors will soon explore the ancient layers of Yakutsk, one of Siberia’s oldest settlements, without leaving the capital. The Arctic Research Center of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) is unveiling a virtual reality experience that immerses guests in a detailed 3D reconstruction of real archaeological digs in the city’s historic core.
By slipping on a VR headset, users can “walk” through restricted excavation zones, examine centuries-old structures and artifacts, and experience the atmosphere of Yakutsk as it might have looked hundreds of years ago.
Ancient ruins meet holographic tech
The project goes beyond entertainment — it’s a digital preservation effort aimed at protecting fragile archaeological sites that can be damaged during traditional study. To create the 3D model, researchers processed about 3,500 high-resolution photos, capturing every fragment of the dig. The data will later be used to reconstruct a wooden house from the late 19th to early 20th century that once stood at the site.
Alongside the VR tour, visitors can view real artifacts at the exhibition “Tools of Ancient Man: From Stone to Iron.” More than 30 authentic objects, from the prehistoric Diring culture to the early Iron Age, will be on display — some visualized as rotating holograms for close inspection.
The project demonstrates how virtual and holographic technologies are transforming archaeology, allowing scientists — and the public — to explore the deep history of the Arctic without disturbing a single layer of soil.
