Tourism & Hospitality | Tuesday 7 July, 2015 5:05 am |

Several young Saudis have started filming Jeddah’s historic district using cameras mounted on drones to gather professional 3D footage that can be used to build models and create virtual tours.

Bandar Al-Mutlaq, owner of the Arab Foundation, which is supervising the project, said the material can also be used by construction firms to restore old buildings.
“This is the first general project we’re working on seriously. We are all volunteers and don’t get any payment. We are planning to film in all the districts with a focus on historic buildings,” he said.

Al-Mutlaq said that aerial photography provides greater depth and space. It also saves money because there is no need to send thousands of people into an area for scanning. 
“We started shooting at the beginning of Ramadan, after receiving the necessary permits, and will finish at the end of the month. However, imaging and information processing may take up to three months.”

Al-Mutlaq stressed that the filming did not intrude on the privacy of residents because they sought permission before starting to film.
Al-Mutlaq leads a group of 50 young people in the Historic Jeddah Area during the Ramadanana Kida 2 festival, providing a rapid imaging service for visitors wishing to take photographs outside old buildings.
“We are trying to create a link between people and these places, to focus more attention on historic buildings,” he said.