The wars in Iraq and Syria have cut off some of the most celebrated ancient cities in the world from public view.

However, virtual reality technology means that the sites can now be visited remotely, and the scale of the destruction they have suffered more fully appreciated.

An exhibition in Washington titled Age Old Cities: a Virtual Journey from Palmyra to Mosul has brought to life five significant sites in three cities: Aleppo and Palmyra in Syria, and Mosul in Iraq.

The mosque was one of the historical sites which have been ruined by conflict in Syria

The exhibition, at the Smithsonian Institutions Arthur M Sackler Gallery, is closed at present because of the coronavirus pandemic but the virtual reality parts can still be downloaded from the internet, where they have been posted by the video-games company that helped to create

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Virtual reality brings ancient sites of Syria and Iraq to life - The Times