Dubai: Plans are underway to set up a virtual museum in the UAE, the Mohammad Bin Rashid Foundation announced on Monday.

Fourteen Zayed University (ZU) students, sponsored by the foundation, are currently working on a pilot project that creates 3D models of chosen Islamic artefacts and architecture, which they documented in Granada, Cordoba and Madrid, Spain.

They showed MBRF officials their efforts in their first production phase on Monday.

ZU officials said students were also working on visually documenting historical sites in Ras Al Khaimah to create 3D images.

If the pilot project is successful the public would eventually be able to access the images and videos of various historical sites via the internet.

After their January visit to Spain, the art and design students created 3D models of a column and arch in Madinat Al Zahra in Cordoba, and arch and column that surrounds the Quba in the great mosque of Cordoba and written research papers on Islamic architecture and art in Spain.

"Our input is that students will create their experiences in 3D and then it would be an informative virtual museum about these objects. The theme is Islamic architecture," said ZU assistant professor of art and design Rahul Malpure.

Malpure briefed students on how to take pictures so that they could create 3D images. "When they returned from the trip, they showed me the images and we came up with the theme of columns and arches."