Mosque of Cordoba Interactive VR Tour

Role: UI/UX Designer, XR Developer

Skills: Unity, C#, XR Interaction Toolkit

Timeline: 9 Weeks

Collaborators: Jane Yao, Kassidy Tapia, Meredith de la Torre, Vatsal Lahoti

Project Overview

Mezquita de Córdoba VR is an immersive experience that invites users to explore a historically inspired reconstruction of the Mosque of Córdoba as it stood in 1800. Designed as an interactive virtual tour, the experience features four guided stops that teach users about Islamic faith, culture, and architecture through environmental storytelling.

This project was built in collaboration with Art History students, who provided historical research and curated the architectural and symbolic elements of the mosque. Our team translated this research into a spatial, explorable experience using VR technology optimized for Meta Quest headsets.

Problem Statement

Traditional approaches to teaching religious architecture can feel static and inaccessible. Museums and classrooms often rely on still images and lectures, limiting engagement and spatial understanding. Our goal was to use virtual reality to recreate a sacred Islamic space and make its architectural symbolism immersive, personal, and emotionally resonant.

Goals & Challenges

Goal

  • Recreate the architectural and symbolic significance of the Mosque of Córdoba in an explorable 3D environment

  • Educate users about Islamic religious practices and values through spatial storytelling

  • Make historical design accessible and visually compelling without compromising headset performance

Challenges

  • Maintaining graphic fidelity without exceeding VR headset limitations

  • Rendering natural lighting and textures to evoke realism while ensuring performance stability

  • Coordinating with researchers to translate academic findings into interactive elements

  • Sourcing, refining, and integrating historically accurate visual assets

Qibla Wall

Design Process

The design team collaborated closely with Art History students, who developed the tour's educational content and identified key architectural elements. We worked iteratively, requesting specific 3D models and textures, which were then polished by our graphic designer, Jane Yao, to ensure visual consistency and historical accuracy.

Our VR team was responsible for:

  • Building and optimizing the mosque in Unity

  • Creating interactive prompts and scroll-based info panels

  • Designing the user experience across four narrative stops:

    1. Call to Prayer (Minaret)

    2. Courtyard

    3. Prayer Hall

    4. Dome and Qibla Wall

Each stop was crafted to blend interactivity, narrative, and symbolism, guiding users through Islamic customs using architecture as the medium.

Target Users

  • High school and university students in religious studies or art history

  • Museum educators looking to enrich Islamic art exhibitions

  • General audiences seeking immersive cultural education experiences

Mosque of Cordoba Courtyard

User Experience Highlights

Stop 1: Call to Prayer

Users begin their journey by hearing the call to prayer (adhan) from the minaret. Accepting this call transports them into the mosque courtyard.

Stop 2: Courtyard

Lush with trees and a central fountain, the courtyard symbolizes paradise. Audio layers include ambient water and birdsong to heighten immersion.

Stop 3: Prayer Hall

Inside, a forest of columns and horseshoe arches surround the user. The repeating arches are designed to evoke infinity and the spiritual vastness of Islamic worship.

Stop 4: Dome & Qibla

Beneath the intricately patterned dome, users face the Qibla wall, which traditionally points to Mecca. The wall's misalignment (due to historical circumstances) serves as a subtle nod to the cultural blending during Muslim rule in Spain.

Interactive Features

Layered audio for realism (prayer call, ambient mosque sounds)

Levitating scrolls for info prompts

Real-time lighting through the dome and the torches

Accurate architectural orientation and details inspired by the original Córdoba mosque

VR Tour of Mosque of Cordoba

Watch the walkthrough video below to explore the Mezquita de Córdoba VR experience in action. This demo captures the full sequence of the interactive tour—from the atmospheric call to prayer to the richly detailed architectural elements inside the courtyard, prayer hall, and dome. Designed for Meta Quest, the experience is optimized for both performance and immersion, offering users an educational journey through one of the most iconic examples of Islamic architecture in Spain.

Mosque of Cordoba VR GitHub Link

Reflection

This project was a masterclass in interdisciplinary collaboration. While our team focused on building and optimizing the virtual space, the art history team shaped the experience’s educational core. One of our greatest challenges was balancing visual fidelity with technical performance—making the textures and lighting feel real without overwhelming the Meta Quest hardware.

The end result is a powerful, serene, and educational space that lets users feel the depth of Islamic architecture, not just observe it.