Abstract

Extended Reality (XR), encompassing Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), and Mixed Reality (MR), offers transformative opportunities for cultural heritage preservation. XR technologies enable immersive experiences that allow users to interact with historical artifacts, monuments, and sites without causing physical damage. This paper explores the application of XR in documenting, visualizing, and interpreting cultural heritage across museums, archaeological sites, and heritage buildings. XR facilitates digital reconstruction of deteriorated structures, interactive educational programs, and virtual tourism, enhancing accessibility for global audiences. Integrating XR with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), 3D scanning, and photogrammetry enhances accuracy and authenticity in heritage representation. Moreover, XR promotes community engagement, participatory storytelling, and cross-cultural knowledge exchange, fostering appreciation of intangible cultural assets. Challenges include high implementation costs, technological limitations, data management, and the need for interdisciplinary collaboration among historians, archaeologists, engineers, and designers. Case studies demonstrate successful XR applications in preserving endangered cultural sites and reviving historical narratives. The findings highlight the potential of XR to complement traditional preservation methods, support heritage education, and ensure long-term accessibility while minimizing physical interventions. Future directions emphasize scalable XR solutions, standardization of digital heritage formats, and sustainable integration into heritage management policies.