Applying Geomatics Techniques for Documenting Heritage Buildings in Aswan Region, Egypt: A Case Study of the Temple of Abu Simbel

It has recently become more popular to involve 3-D modeling and digital documentation in the conservation and restoration of heritage sites. The main objective of the current study is to develop a digital documentation process using laser scanning for Abu Simbel Temple, which is one of the most famous archaeological sites in Egypt. We focus on these techniques to replace traditional methods of building heritage documentation. To create the 3-D model with geographic coordinates and measure the rate of deformation, a precise geodetic network of five points was established around the temple. Then, 52 scans of the temple facade and its interior parts were taken using a Trimble TX6 laser scanner. This led to the creation of a 3-D digital model of the temple that includes geometric, structural, architectural, historical data, and non-engineering information (such as appearance, inscriptions, and material details). The 3-D point cloud model outputs exhibit a 6 mm spacing between the points with an error of 4 mm and a standard deviation of 5 mm. In addition, the temple’s virtual tour included 61 panoramic images. This virtual tour can help to increase heritage awareness, promote tourism, and aid in the future restoration of any parts vulnerable to damage.