Saudi Arabia employs AI to accommodate Hajj pilgrims

ISTANBUL

Saudi Arabia is using smart technologies and AI-driven platforms to provide services to nearly two million Muslim pilgrims during this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

The country’s authorities unveiled several smart digital services to make the soul-searching journey easier for the pilgrims.

One of these services is Manarah 2, an AI robot serving in over 20 languages, which will provide real-time information and assistance for any inquiries by the pilgrims in key locations.

There are also Nusuk cards, which enable pilgrims to book appointments to visit the Holy Rawdah at the Prophet’s Mosque.

By these cards, pilgrims also have access to their contact information and accommodation details, which would decrease the number of lost and missing.

The Makkah Bus Guidance Center, equipped with smart technology, will operate in collaboration with the Nusuk platform and the Arshidni smart platform to ensure safe and accurate transportation and arrival of the pilgrims to their accommodations.

Tawakkalna, a mobile health app, will update pilgrims about their health conditions and provide access to needed medical services.

AI-driven apps

Saudi Arabia will also introduce the Smart Enrichment Assistant, an innovative application that informs visitors in multiple languages about many valuable services, including prayer times, schedules of imams, and locations of religious classes.

Saudi authorities also launched the Makkah Route Initiative, a high-quality service to streamline travel procedures for pilgrims in their home countries and facilitate the smooth and seamless completion of the process at their designated embarkation points.

Riyadh also launched a luggage coding and sorting system to facilitate luggage delivery processes at departure airports and convey the luggage to pilgrims’ accommodations in Mecca or Medina.

There are also mobile apps for the recitation and learning of Islam’s holy book, the Quran, to enhance the spiritual engagement of the pilgrims.

According to Saudi authorities, more than 1.2 million pilgrims have arrived so far in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj pilgrimage, which is set to start next week.

The Hajj pilgrimage is the fifth pillar of the Islamic faith – a ritual that must be performed by all Muslims, if financially viable, at least once in their lives.

The ritual includes several rituals meant to symbolize the essential concepts of the Islamic faith and to commemorate the trials of the Prophet Abraham and his family.