Junior Professor for Digital Cultural Heritage Studies

Rahaf Orabi is an architect and an expert in digital heritage and heritage at risk. She earned her Ph.D. in History (summa cum laude) from Pázmány Péter Catholic University in 2023. She holds two Master’s degrees: one in Architectural Design|Digital Architecture and another in Digital Cultural Heritage. Her doctoral research focused on the digital reconstruction of the historic urban fabric of the Old City of Aleppo, Syria.

Rahaf Orabi began her professional career at the Directorate-General of Antiquities and Museums (DGAM) in Syria, where she was actively involved in the protection and digital documentation of endangered cultural heritage sites and artifacts in Damascus, Aleppo, and Palmyra. Later, during her tenure at Andreas Pittas Art Characterization Laboratories (APAC Labs) at the Cyprus Institute (CYI) she contributed to several national and European research projects, collaborating within interdisciplinary teams of scientists, heritage professionals, conservators, art historians, and museum curators.

Her research focuses on the digitization, analysis, and virtual reconstruction of tangible cultural heritage, such as archaeological sites, historic urban landscapes, and artifacts, with a particular emphasis on heritage at risk. Additionally, she investigates methods for safeguarding intangible cultural practices and seeks to integrate computational methods into heritage protection and preservation.