With the announcement by the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah last April that the number of pilgrims this year (1443 AH) from home and abroad had risen to one million, after two years in which the pilgrimage was limited to pilgrims from inside the Kingdom only due to the Corona pandemic;

The Saudi authorities have expanded the use of digital applications and services to facilitate the performance of Hajj rituals for pilgrims.

The Saudi Ministry of Hajj has adopted a digital approach to facilitate the arrival and movement of pilgrims between the holy sites, and to alleviate the suffering and hardship on pilgrims, through the use of modern technology and applications, in a way that made the ministry announce that the employment of "new applications and artificial intelligence is the most prominent feature of this year's Hajj season."

Hajj smart card

The Hajj smart card is one of the latest technical services that have been adopted to facilitate the performance of rituals for pilgrims, and it is characterized by 4 colors, each of which is linked to specific services for a group of pilgrims, such as their program and the regiment they follow, and the bus that transports them during the movement between the holy sites. Pilgrims are provided with their personal, medical and residential information, which contributes to guiding them to their places of residence when necessary.

According to Eng. Hisham Saeed, Assistant Undersecretary of the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah for Hajj and Umrah Services, this year’s Hajj season will witness an expansion in the use of the Hajj smart card on a larger scale, in parallel with the launch of 3 basic applications to serve pilgrims, explaining that these three new applications include the “Al Hajj” applications. Smart", "organizers", and a third application linked to workers in the Hajj and Umrah system, and they are those in charge of assisting the pilgrim by simply reading the data of the "Smart Hajj Card".

Saeed pointed out that the "Al-Hajj App" includes a number of direct interactive services to talk with campaign officials, direct inquiries, and submit complaints if needed.

As for the "organizers application", it relates to the services of pilgrims and pilgrims, and the companies of the raft operators working in the service of the guests of Rahman coming from outside Saudi Arabia, as well as the Coordinating Council for the pilgrims inside, and it includes the services of distributing pilgrims to the residences and the times of heading to the Jamarat Bridge, and the grouping schedules, and the times of the departure from the Arafat hair to Muzdalifah.

Last year's Hajj season witnessed the presentation of the smart bracelet "Nisk", for the first time in its trial version.

This year, the bracelet provides many services, the most important of which is providing full information about the pilgrim and the health status (immunized, first dose vaccinator, recovering vaccinator).

The bracelet - which is in the form of a watch that the pilgrim puts around his wrist - also allows to follow up and monitor health status data related to measuring blood oxygen and heart rate, and requests for emergency medical or security assistance, which contributes to quick access to the pilgrim's location and assistance.

Intelligent indoor disinfection robot

To ensure a healthy indoor environment during this year's Hajj season, pilgrims will see the "smart robot", which is used for sterilization and environmental protection, as it works with an automated control system programmed on a high-precision 6-level map, which contributes to limiting the spread of diseases and epidemics. .

One of its uses is to distribute Zamzam water bottles without human contact, as this modern technology distributes thousands of bottles daily, and contains an early warning feature with audio transmission at the required time, and is equipped with a camera that includes a high-quality mapping radar.

This year's Hajj season is witnessing an expansion in the use of electronic applications and robots (French)

Guidance robot

What draws attention during this year's Hajj season is also the presence of the "guiding robot", which plays a guiding role, providing pilgrims with the opportunity to receive quick answers to their legitimate questions and guide them "on how to perform rituals and fatwas, with the possibility of communicating with religious sheikhs from a distance," according to the website of the General Presidency for Religious Affairs. The Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.

To facilitate the service's access to large numbers of pilgrims, who speak various languages, the robot is distinguished by its support for 11 languages, including Arabic, English, French, Russian, Persian, Turkish, Malay, Urdu, Chinese, Bengali, and Hausa.