VIRTUAL TOURS FOR ENHANCEMENT OF ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE: A CASE STUDY KARAMAN FISANDON CHURCH

Abstract

It has great importance in the preservation and presentation of cultural heritage that people from a wide range of societies can easily access historical buildings. Virtual tours have a significant role in the promotion and understanding of cultural heritage. Virtual tours are data aiming to access historical buildings and their information by using a smartphone, tablet, smart glasses, or head-mounted devices with the help of advanced technologies. Because of this feature, virtual tours have become one of the most used and popular information methods for cultural heritage. Because of the fact that historic buildings can be accessed quickly and easily online, it is considered as an important input in terms of introducing historical buildings and their surroundings. Thus, online data, which has a wide range of usage possibilities from education activities to tourism, has been stored in digital platforms and a database that could be created and stored for publishing with all stakeholders. In this article, a virtual tour with panoramic photos was prepared for the Fisandon Church located in Dereköy Village of Karaman province. During the tour, visitors can both access information about the building and take a virtual tour around and inside the building. For more details, they can access the prepared brochure with the help of a QR code. This study contributed to the worldwide access of the Fisandon Church; an important Byzantine structure located in the rural settlement. In conclusion, general evaluations were made about the advantages of virtual tours for promoting cultural heritage.