The project has started registering collectibles depicting Egyptian culture on the blockchain.

As a birthplace of several ancient civilisations along with powerful empires that followed, the Middle East has a rich history reflected through ancient sites, literature passed down millennia and art that has evolved as an amalgamation of fascinating cultures. Technology including AI may have helped archaeologists and researchers unravel mysteries of the past like dead sea scrolls and carvings at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, but the digital realm has allowed history buffs to explore historic cities closely, while sitting at a distance.

Virtual tourism, which gained popularity as an alternative during the pandemic-induced lockdown, opened a window for netizens to explore an ancient Roman city in Lebanon through the internet, while Turkey created a 3D replica depicting one of its earliest human settlements. As part of yet another effort to help people venture into the region's fascinating past, a Canadian firm has created crypto tokens for objects and artifacts, that are a reflection of the culture as well as art from the time of the Pharaohs that once ruled Egypt.

Launched by Next Decentrum under the collection called Crypto Pharaohs, the NFTs will together form a metaverse where Egyptophiles will be able to check out digital collectibles, which have been published on a blockchain. Apart from this, augmented and virtual realities will be paired to create an immersive experience for history enthusiasts, who can enter ancient Egypt and leave with a piece of the past for themselves.

This announcement comes right after the creation of a virtual megacity which replicates Dubai through real world maps, allowing netizens to buy NFTs or trade in digital real estate, through visuals that accurately depict the Middle East's tech oasis. The project by Next Decentrum also has the potential to generate revenue on a regular basis for museums across the globe.

Among other developments around ancient Egypt, researchers have used 3D imaging tech, to shed light on mummification techniques, which were used thousands of years back.