Müzeverse visitors explore history

ISTANBUL

Müzeverse, Türkiye’s first virtual reality (VR) museum, opened its doors in Istanbul last year and has since attracted over 10,000 visitors, astonishing audiences with its cutting-edge VR technology and captivating immersive storytelling.

Aiming to transform the traditional museum concept, Müzeverse offers visitors the chance to closely experience key moments in history.

Opened on Nov. 19, 2024, at UNIQ Istanbul through a collaboration between virtual content production company VR Future and French virtual reality company Excurio, the museum’s opening exhibition, “Journey to the Pyramids: Discovering Ancient Egypt,” invites art enthusiasts on an immersive adventure.

Taking visitors 4,500 years back in time, the museum provides an opportunity to witness King Khufu’s funeral ceremony and explore the hidden chambers of the Great Pyramid, the Sphinx and the Giza Plateau.

Speaking to the state-run Anadolu Agency, VR Future Co-Founder Virgile Mangiavillano said they invite art lovers to experience the future of museum culture through this new virtual tour.

Mangiavillano noted that the concept of a virtual reality museum emerged three years ago.

“It started with a conversation in France with Excurio’s CEO. Then, we decided to bring this technology and concept to Türkiye. There are now VR museums like this in eight different countries — including China, the U.S., France, and, for the first time, Türkiye,” he said.

He pointed out that it took three years to bring such a museum to Türkiye.

“Our first exhibition is called ‘Journey to the Pyramids,’ featuring content about Ancient Egypt. Producing this took about 2.5 years and involved around 50 people,” he said.

Mangiavillano stated that every visitor leaves Müzeverse satisfied and that “Journey to the Pyramids” is available in Turkish, English, French and Chinese. He also noted that the museum can accommodate up to 100 visitors at a time.

Between reality and virtuality

Highlighting that VR technology is shaping the future of storytelling, Mangiavillano said: "With virtual reality, we offer both exploration and interactive engagement. Unlike a traditional museum, everything here is interactive, which is very important to us. Our relationship with reality may change."

"For instance, after a 45-minute VR experience, we have created a relaxation room to help visitors reconnect with reality. This break is crucial. In fact, through this experience, we are blurring the boundaries between reality and the virtual world,” he added.

Mangiavillano also shared their plans to showcase Türkiye’s cultural heritage abroad. “There are eight countries with this kind of museum. Once we produce content about Türkiye, we plan to distribute it directly to other countries. We’re still deciding on the subject — it could be the Ottoman era, Hagia Sophia, or Göbeklitepe. This year, we plan to open 40 new locations in other countries. Such content will undoubtedly be highly beneficial for promoting Türkiye’s cultural heritage,” he said.

Offering visitors a chance to explore significant historical moments up close, Müzeverse combines cutting-edge VR technology with storytelling.

The museum is open Tuesday through Friday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on weekends from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.