Written by HMNS Staff David & Alicia Furse

Imagine – You open your eyes and see pale light illuminating the area in front of you. In the light, you see a massive block of stone with a carved foot on top of it. Your gaze is drawn higher and you, perhaps, recognize a seated male figure of colossal proportions whose double crown and headdress with the uraeus, the sacred serpent and symbol of ultimate power that the Pharaohs and Queens wore over the brow, makes it evident that you are in Egypt. You turn a slow 360 degrees and see the arid landscape surrounding you. Judging by the lack of water right at the doorstep of Abu Simbel, this isn’t modern day Egypt.

Your attention is drawn back to the entrance of the grand temple. As you draw level with the massive stone statue, a shimmering light appears and solidifies into the apparition of a woman who is so beautiful as to make the sun pale in comparison.

She introduces herself as Nefertari – The beloved Great Royal Wife of Ramses the Great. She speaks of their love and then takes you into the temple where she recounts Ramses’ battles and leads you further into the back of the temple. As Nefertari tells you about the four statues that you see here, the sun shines through the doorway and illuminates three of them. A whisper is heard – a male voice – calling Nefertari’s name.

An exciting run from Abu Simbel temple to the temple made by Ramses for Nefertari gets your heart racing….

No, you’re not in a dream, you’re in the Virtual Reality Experience at the Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs Exhibit. No, we haven’t revealed everything that visitors will encounter during the 10 minute and 30 second experience, but this is one virtual journey that I’m glad we could take. The entire experience felt incredibly real and the detail was exacting.

Please don’t miss the opportunity to come and experience this for yourself. The Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs exhibit, as well as the Virtual Reality Experience, will be at the Houston Museum of Natural Science through May 2022.

Purchase tickets to the exhibit and VR experience here.

See Ramses the Great and the Gold of the Pharaohs and the newly reimagined Hall of Ancient Egypt in one ticket as explained here.

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