Latest news with #GeneralPresidencyfortheAffairsoftheTwoHolyMosques
CairoScene
11-05-2025
- CairoScene
General Presidency Unveils Largest Hajj Plan With Digital Integration
The plan introduces AI-driven services, multilingual support, and smart infrastructure to enhance the 2025 pilgrimage season. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has launched its most extensive operational plan in Hajj history, aiming to serve millions of pilgrims this season with a focus on digital transformation and multilingual accessibility. The plan, unveiled by Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, President of the General Presidency, centres on integrating artificial intelligence, smart systems, and targeted enrichment programmes across the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. Designed around three guiding pillars—elevating the sanctity of the holy sites, enhancing the spiritual journey, and sharing the values of Islam globally—the plan involves 120 enrichment initiatives. Among these are 10 'smart tracks' aimed at improving the digital experience for pilgrims, alongside 50 educational and scientific programmes promoting spiritual awareness and intellectual engagement. More than 2,000 trained Saudi personnel will be deployed to assist worshippers across the holy sites, ensuring a high standard of service and logistical coordination. The plan also introduces seven specialised enrichment tracks that emphasise tolerance and moderation, with content available in multiple languages to serve the diverse global community of pilgrims.
Arab News
21-03-2025
- Arab News
‘Walking Guide' volunteer service introduced for Grand Mosque pilgrims
MAKKAH: A new volunteer assistance service has been introduced at Saudi Arabia's two holy mosques to aid pilgrims, particularly the elderly and disabled. The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques announced the program as part of broader efforts to improve the pilgrimage experience. Speaking to Arab News, the initiative's director, Bassem Wahbo, explained that guides are identifiable through prominent signage and floor markers that pinpoint their locations. 'This system creates effective connections between locations and nearby services, representing a critical advancement in our visitor assistance capabilities, supporting the initiative's goals of providing effective and direct assistance to (visitors),' Wahbo said. 'We provide precise guidance to ensure all visitors enjoy a comfortable and smooth experience, with special focus on elderly and disabled pilgrims by directing them to dedicated pathways and services that facilitate easy access to their destinations,' he added. The initiative serves multiple purposes, mainly facilitating movement throughout the mosque complex, providing assistance to worshippers navigating to prayer areas and services, supporting vulnerable visitors to ensure their comfort during religious rituals, and directing people to optimal routes and available amenities. The authority emphasized its ongoing commitment to supporting elderly and disabled visitors through specialized guidance services to help them reach their destinations with ease. Hajj and Umrah specialist Saad Al-Sharif praised the initiative as 'exceptional,' noting its comprehensive approach to visitor assistance. 'The guides provide crucial field direction to circumambulation areas, Sa'i, prayer halls, entrances, exits, and service locations. They reunite lost individuals — particularly children and elderly pilgrims — with their proper destinations and offer multilingual assistance to international visitors,' Al-Sharif explained. Umrah performer Abdulrahman Faisal highlighted the teams' importance in emergency response situations. 'They provide immediate assistance to visitors experiencing difficulties such as heat stress or exhaustion and coordinate with relevant authorities when necessary,' he said. He explained that it is particularly important to guide Umrah performers and tourists toward correct behaviors inside the mosque to preserve the sanctity of the place and maintain orderly movement, which the authorities are working hard to achieve. Faisal noted that guides operate within a mobile system, patrolling the mosque complex with identification badges and communication devices. They are strategically positioned at key locations including entrances, the Tawaf area, the Sa'i walkway, and main gates. 'Their use of smart applications and digital mapping technology to deliver accurate, instant information is particularly impressive,' he added. The service has already reportedly reduced instances of disorientation among visitors while improving the ritual experience and enhancing overall organization.
Saudi Gazette
17-03-2025
- General
- Saudi Gazette
Over 10 million iftar meals served at Two Holy Mosques during first half of Ramadan
Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH — The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has distributed more than 10.8 million iftar meals at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah during the first half of Ramadan. This initiative is part of the presidency's efforts to organize and distribute iftar meals for Umrah pilgrims and visitors. According to the presidency, a total of 10,822,999 meals have been served, alongside 10,290,000 date packets, coinciding with a significant increase in the number of pilgrims and visitors during this season. The distribution process adheres to strict regulatory and health standards to ensure the safety of worshipers and the smooth delivery of services at designated iftar areas within the Two Holy Mosques and their courtyards. To further streamline the process, the presidency launched an online service before Ramadan, allowing individuals, charitable organizations, and endowments to submit requests to organize iftar meals inside the Grand Mosque.
