This year’s Hajj goes high-tech to expand services to the faithful
▶ The Saudi Arabian government is making use of advances in technology to ease the pilgrimage for millions
The most high-tech Hajj yet starts on Sunday in Makkah, when almost two million people from around the world flock to Islam’s holiest site.
By yesterday, more than 1.4 million pilgrims had arrived by sea, land and air.
During Hajj, pilgrims are required to perform rituals between the Kaaba – a holy building at the centre of Al Haram mosque – and Mount Arafat, the site of the Prophet Mohammed’s final sermon.
Trying to ease the often arduous experience, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah this year launched a range of electronic services, including flight clearance and digitised health records, allowing Hajj authorities to scan pilgrims’ medical backgrounds before they arrive in Saudi Arabia.
The Ministry of Communication’s Smart Hajj initiative offers pilgrims phone applications to help them navigate the pilgrimage.
The Manasikana app, launched by the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, guides pilgrims through every step of the journey.
The authorities have also strengthened the internet infrastructure in and around Makkah by placing 3,000 mobile antennas to improve 4G reception.
They have also worked to provide Wi-Fi coverage for pilgrims throughout the journey.
The towers will provide the visitors with uninterrupted mobile internet to maintain contact with their families and make use of the ministry’s online services.
“Saudi Arabia is moving to a new era with huge ambition,” said Nouf Al Rakan, chief executive of the Saudi Federation for Cyber Security, Programming and Drones.
“We will open doors and combine minds to spread a message that serves Islam and technology.”
The Asefny app allows users to send health reports through their phones and request medical care in case of emergencies.
The app tracks the location of pilgrims to provide them with details of the nearest services or assistance for those with special needs.
The app, which is available in eight languages, provides information that includes prayer times and flight schedules, the weather forecast for Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah, emergency numbers, the location of the nearest emergency centre and currency exchange rates.
More than 25 hospitals and 25,000 medical professionals will be on standby to ensure the safety of the pilgrims, as they travel between Makkah, where the Kaaba is located, and Mount Arafat, the site signifying the peak of the pilgrimage.
The ministry has placed security and health professionals along the 20-kilometre path between Mina and Muzdaliffah, both stopovers during the pilgrimage.
All pilgrims must get a number of vaccinations, namely meningitis and a flu vaccine, to avoid any disease outbreaks after the Hajj.
But not all maladies can be prevented and the kingdom provides treatment for even the most serious of illnesses.
Before the start of the Hajj, the Centre for Cardiac Diseases and Surgery in Madinah had already received 86 medical cases, including two openheart surgeries.
Most of the 86 admitted had suffered heart attacks requiring emergency treatment.
The journey of Hajj traces back to Prophet Mohammed, when he performed the pilgrimage in 632CE. Those accompanying the Prophet observed his every move and those steps are performed in the same sequence today.
It requires pilgrims to travel from Makkah to Mount Arafat and back, with stops at Mina and Muzdallifah along the way.
Hajj represents a seminal moment in lives of Muslims because it is widely considered a return to purity, signified by the white robes worn by the pilgrims.
About countries have in the past tried to politicise Hajj, despite the Saudi government’s effort to separate its role as Custodian of the Holy Mosques from politics.
In 2016, Iran demanded that its citizens boycott the pilgrimage after an accident in 2015 in which hundreds of pilgrims were killed.
Tehran used the incident for political gain, attempting to criticise Saudi Arabia’s management of the pilgrimage.
Saudi Arabia has kept its doors open to Iranians who wish to perform the pilgrimage, as it has with Qataris.
Saudi Arabia, with the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute with Qatar since last year. Despite that, Saudi Arabia is welcoming Qatari pilgrims into the country by providing them with a website through which they can apply for the Hajj visa.
When Qatar blocked the website another was launched, which was again made inaccessible by Qatari authorities.
We will open doors and combine minds to spread a message that serves Islam and technology NOUF AL RAKAN Technologist