A Scottish team is to digitally scan the Rani Ki Vav stepwell in Gujarat,one of India's most historic landmarks,in an effort to preserve its every detail,the British media reported. The project - a collaboration between the Glasgow School of Art and Historic Scotland,and the Archaeological Survey of India - involves digitally recording the Rani Ki Vav stepwell,which dates back to 1050 and is made up of decorated stepped terraces descending into the ground,reports said. The Scottish experts said that they were aiming to use laser technology to create exact digital models of the site - that will help with conserving and maintaining it. Rani Ki Vav has only been fully excavated in the past 50 years and is currently on the UNESCO tentative list to be considered for World Heritage Site status. Scotland's Minister for Culture and External Affairs Fiona Hyslop said: "This is a great collaboration with the Scottish and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) on behalf of the Indian government. "I am delighted that Scotland is able to provide the expertise to ensure this nationally important and breathtaking site is captured in its entirety and conserved for future generations. "The Scottish 10 is a project which is establishing Scotland as a world leader in the use of digital documentation technology,innovation and is allowing us the chance to share our knowledge in heritage conservation and preservation while capturing some the world's most important heritage sites." In fact,the project is part of a global programme by the design team to record sites of historical significance. Among the sites already scanned are New Lanark's 18th Century mills,Mount Rushmore and Neolithic sites in Orkney. The images created will be shared with the American organisation CyArk,founded by Ben Kacyra,inventor of the laser scanner. It is collecting the data from 500 world heritage landmarks to hold in a global archive.
