Virtual reconstruction of the ancient city of Karakorum

Ruins of ancient cities hold valuable information for historians and archeologists and it allows them to learn about the society and culture of these cities. This paper explores the first attempt to virtually rebuild the historic city of Karakorum based on ruins and archeological findings from the 13th century AD. Further, the analytical and practical methods used to discover its unique urban planning and architectural form by reconstructing the city using various resources from archeological documents to historical science documents are introduced. We explore a digitized version of Karakorum city in an immersive and embodied manner because of the latest technological advances in virtual reality, and this allows us to conserve and visualize its cultural heritage. The research objectives of this study are to (1) create a three-dimensional visual model of the Karakorum city as close as possible to its real counterpart, and (2) use a game engine as a development platform for integration and interactive visualization.