Google today launched 360-degree street view imagery of the Pyramids and five other historical landmarks in Egypt for the first time. Street View Special Collects is a feature of Google Maps that lets users explore places around the world like landmarks, natural wonders, as well as culturally and historically significant sites. Users can now virtually tour the Pyramids of Giza, necropolis of Saqqara, the Citadel of Qaitbay, the Cairo Citadel, the Hanging Church and the ancient city of Abu Mena.
Google used Trekker, a wearable Street View backpack with a camera system on top that is designed to go down footpaths, tracks and narrow pathways to get images of areas of natural beauty or tourist sites.
Commenting on the launch, Tarek Abdalla, head of marketing for Google MENA, said in a statement: “We capture unique places around the world and make them available and accessible for users world wide. We’re very happy to bring the Pyramids to Google Maps Street View along with five other major historical and archeological sites in Egypt.”
This is the third Street View imagery collected of a major landmark in the Arab world, after Burj Khalifa in Dubai and the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. Google has also brought online the National Museum of Iraq and the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar for users to take a virtual walk and navigate through the myriad art displays.
Google Maps Street View was launched in 2007 and, today, covers thousands of cities in 57 countries. The program includes capturing 360- degree imagery of theme parks, university campuses, pedestrian malls, landmarks and zoos. Egypt’s historical landmarks now joins other world sites on Street View such as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, and natural wonders such as Grand Canyon, Great Barrier Reef in Australia, Antarctica and the Swiss Alps. The imagery of the Pyramids and other sites is now available on Google Maps and can be viewed here.
