By Dawn
My husband and I recently went to a virtual reality show called “Horizon of Khufu,” which allows visitors to “explore the Giza Plateau and the Great Pyramid of Giza as if you were really there.” Upon entering the exhibition space, we stood in line to receive our v.r. goggles and instructions: “Remove the goggles if you feel dizzy” and “if you see a chair, don't sit try to on it because it isn't there.”
With goggles on, we embarked on a walking tour of ancient Egyptian pyramids and tombs, complete with a virtual human guide. Stepping along what appeared to be a narrow, jagged precipice, I felt a frisson of fear, yet quickly remembered that the precipice wasn't real; I was in fact walking on a flat floor.
After passing through ornate rooms and stunning scenery, we were transported on a boat through time and entered the space where the mummification process was underway. As part of the ritual, we were told, all of the organs were removed except for the heart, believed to be the home of the soul and needed for entry to the afterlife. The body, in this case Pharaoh Khufu’s, was then meticulously wrapped to last.
