Vision
Preserving and visualising hidden histories of Jerusalem
Our understanding of day-to-day life in late Ottoman Jerusalem remains incomplete.
Virtual Illés is a pioneering digital humanities project that aims to compile historical records and facilitate universal access to uncovered facets of Jerusalem.
The project focuses on the Illés Relief (1873), a remarkable miniature model that depicts the Old City and the developing New City at the time of its fabrication.
Stephan Illés (b. 1839), who arrived in Jerusalem in 1864 from Pressbourg (now Bratislava, Slovakia), is our pre-eminent guide to late 19th century Jerusalem. A book binder by trade, he had a keen eye for detail, a good understanding of how three-dimensional objects are constructed, as well as meticulous craftsmanship.
In contrast to two-dimensional classical cartography, the Illés Relief (scale 1:500 – roughly fifteen by sixteen feet or 4.5 by 5 meters) was made in 3D from zinc sheets and mounted on a frame built in eight modular units for transportation and display.
This invaluable historical record has been digitally reconstructed to produce an information-dense and highly interactive resource accessible to international scholars and the global public alike.
Features
The Virtual Illés Initiative is a bespoke immersive mapping system that allows multimedia content to be embedded within a digital Jerusalem. It features a range of modular interactive tools that can be deployed on desktop, VR and immersive museum systems.
Detailed 3D World
Historical map overlays
Interactive archive
Interactive 3D models
Immersive GIS mapping
App Download
Download the PC app for free on STEAM.
Contact us directly for other platforms, including museum display.
The Virtual Illés Team
Project Director
Dr Maryvelma O’NeilFounder and Director, Alliance to Revitalize Cultural Heritage in Jerusalem (ARCH)
Immersive Director
Dr Andrew YipLecturer, Immersive Design, Sydney
Advisers
Dr Yuval Ben Bassat, University of HaifaDr Johann Büssow, University of Bochum
Dr Michelle U. Campos, Pennsylvania State University
Mr Chandler Collins, Bar Ilan University
Falestin Naili, University of Basel
Heather Ferguson, Claremont McKenna College
Dr Issam Nassar, Illinois State University
Dr Yair Wallach, SOAS University of London
Dr Roberto Mazza, Executive editor, Jerusalem Quarterly, Independent scholar
Collaborate with us
The Virtual Illés Initiative is an interactive and immersive reconstruction of The Illés Relief (1873), a remarkable miniature model that depicts the Old City of Jerusalem and the developing New City at the time of its fabrication. It is a pioneering digital humanities project that aims to complete historic records of 19th century Jerusalem within an interactive virtual environment.
The Virtual Illés Initiative is a bespoke mapping system that features a range of modular interactive tools, such as historical map overlays, interactive archival materials and 3D models, immersive GIS mappings, real time light and more.
It is an evolving collaborative project and we welcome contributions from scholars, researchers, students and citizens. We invite you to contribute new documentation and artifacts, other elements of intangible culture, personal glimpses of the living city and memorabilia including diaries, letters, memoirs, and photographs. These contributions will be used to annotate and animate the relief, and to challenge conventional historiographical views of Jerusalem.