I’ve watched countless documentaries about the Great Pyramid before, but it’s not somewhere I ever thought I’d be able to step inside.
Now, thanks to VR technology, anyone can explore the ancient mega-structure and you only need to travel as far as the Northern Quarter.
Located at Transmission House on Tib Street, the Horizons of Khufu: Journey to Ancient Egypt experience is now open for bookings. I went along to try it out.
The Great Pyramid has been on my bucket list since I was a child, when my dream was to become an archaeologist and find my own Tutankhamun.
Life did not turn out that way for me, but a fascination with the ancient world is something that I have carried with me into adulthood – which is one of the reasons I jumped at the chance to check out this time-travelling virtual reality experience.
I’m also a complete newbie to the world of VR, which is the other reason I was curious.
While many people have lauded the technology as the future of entertainment, I have remained sceptical, having watched far too many TikToks of people crashing into their living room furniture while wearing headsets.
Thankfully, this was not the case at Horizons of Khufu: Journey to Ancient Egypt.
Upon arriving, visitors are given a brief safety talk to help you understand how to identify any real life obstacles, including other people, while immersed in the virtual world. You also get a few minutes to calibrate and orientate yourself before your “tour guide” Mona starts the 45-minute experience.
My first few steps in the VR world were more like shuffles and every movement I made was tentative, but it didn’t take long before my confidence grew.
The tour is split into different chapters, starting off with the interior of the pyramid as it is today. In this section, you learn about its construction, the history of its exploration and some of the architectural details that are still being uncovered today.
Although the tour is mainly factual, it does follow a narrative which is why, after travelling up the Grand Gallery into the King’s Chamber, you are plunged into darkness and introduced to the cat goddess Bastet, who takes over the tour.
From here, you float on a platform through a cross section of the pyramid to look at some of the other hidden passages and chambers.
If you have a fear of heights, I’d advise you not to look down – it takes some getting used to, especially during the next part where you are transported to the very top of the pyramid to view Cairo from above.
You get to see what the area would have looked like 4,500 years ago and even get to walk across the landscape as if you were a giant.
The final sections of the tour let you travel across the Nile in Khufu’s royal boat and brings you face to face with the Pharaoh himself as he is prepared for burial.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience – both from a history nerd’s point of view and as a VR newbie.
It doesn’t look like much when you first enter the building and see a room full of people feeling their way around a large open room with headsets on, but you definitely come out of it with a sense of wonder.
I’m still determined to visit the Great Pyramid in person one day, but for now it’s definitely scratched that itch that I’ve had since being a kid.
The Horizons of Khufu: Journey to Ancient Egypt is open now at Transmission House in Manchester city centre.
It is recommended for adults and children aged 10 and over. Tickets are available to purchase via the Fever Up website.
