Egypt is rebuilding the 5th-century pilgrim city of Abu Mena in augmented reality
The UNESCO site west of Alexandria came off the World Heritage in Danger list in 2025 after an 11-year fight against groundwater.
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Alexandria — Egypt's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities is using augmented reality and artificial intelligence to recreate Abu Mena, the Christian pilgrimage city west of Alexandria, as it looked in the fifth century.
Minister Sherif Fathy reviewed progress on the project with a delegation from the Cabinet's Information and Decision Support Center led by Essam Khodr.
Back to the fifth century
The project aims to take visitors on an interactive journey to the time when Abu Mena was at the height of its importance as one of Christianity's major pilgrimage centres. Using historical documents, original manuscripts, records from the Coptic and Greco-Roman museums and the work of scholars, the team is building detailed 3D models of the city's layout, daily life, clothing and religious rituals.
"This interactive experience must be built on a compelling storytelling framework that blends historical accuracy with visual appeal," Fathy said. It will be available on a dedicated website and at the Abu Mena Visitor Centre. Drone surveyors, artistic directors and digital preservation specialists are working on it.
Saved from the water
Abu Mena grew up around the tomb of Saint Mina and was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979. In 2001 rising groundwater threatened its monuments and it was placed on the List of World Heritage in Danger. After an 11-year groundwater control project by the Egyptian government, it was removed from that list in 2025 and keeps its World Heritage status.
Source: Daily News Egypt, November 2026.
