The Saudi National Museum has announced updates to the “Virtual Tour of the National Museum” platform to develop it and improve the user’s cultural experience. It also aimed to improve the quality of their virtual digital tour that covered the museum’s eight sections to help them explore its diverse and rich contents from a 360-degree angle. The “Virtual Tour,” based on modern technologies and virtual reality, involved many features, including an increased number of accessible artifacts available through the platform in addition to three-dimensional (3D) technology that enabled visitors to see collectibles in an interactive, simulated manner in line with the global highest museum display standards. The National Museum also allowed the sharing of the platform’s contents on social networking sites to promote cultural manifestations among technology and Internet users and stimulate knowledge sharing. The museum also improved the quality of the platform to provide a smooth trip for interested people and specialists.

The platform has been made available on smartphones and tablets since its launch two years ago. It has been equipped with a rigorous simulation of the museum’s corridors and sections. It also included the audio and visual content of the collections. By virtue of these features, it was the first Arabic platform that provided users with interactive content that facilitated the orthographic conversion of ancient Arabic writings into Arabic. The platform seeks to present in Arabic and English the national heritage, its treasures, and the aesthetics owned by the museum to audiences from around the world. It provides rich information supported by pictures and valuable documents, as well as audio and video clips. Notably, the Ministry of Culture, represented by the Museums Commission and the Saudi National Museum, launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, represented by the Digital Transformation Unit, the “Virtual Tour of the National Museum” platform in May 2021. At this time, the museum ceased its activity because of the COVID-19 pandemic. These updates come as part of the efforts to preserve national heritage, promote it digitally at the national and global levels, and make it accessible from anywhere throughout the day.