Mecca: Thirty years ago, it needed Egyptian pilgrims Ibrahim Siam a few hours to track his children when they were lost on the crowd during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
Fasting advances to modern times and many things are much simpler, meaning that Siam, now 64, there is no need to worry about losing traces of his family and friends thanks to new technology.
For this year’s Hajj, the second to be staged under the shadow of the Covid Pandemic, the Saudi authorities have launched an electronic “Hajj card” which allows access without contact to religious, accommodation and transportation sites.
“During the 1993 Hajj, I lost my children and couldn’t find it for seven hours,” said Siam, brandishing a yellow smart card.
“Today I’m not worried about losing my wife and others with me.” Pilgrims Hazem Rihan, a 43-year-old veterinarian, has a similar experience in the previous Hajj.
“As soon as I got lost in Mina and couldn’t describe where I was,” he told me.
“All camps look the same.
I asked the committee but they couldn’t help me.” Plastic cards are available in green, red, yellow and blue.
Color according to signs on the ground guiding pilgrims through various stages of the Hajj.
The digital system also allows authorities to guide tens of thousands who attend annual events, which in previous years are sometimes damaged by deadly stamps and accidents.
Each card contains basic information about any pilgrims including their registration number, the right location of their accommodation, cellphone number, and their guide ID number.
This year only 60,000 Saudi who vaccinated and foreigners who live in the kingdom have been allowed to participate in pilgrimages.
In the last pre-covid Hajj, in 2019, around 2.5 million people participated.
This year, Hajj Hopefuls must register online and get special permits.
“Things completely different before, we got lost on the way to prayer or we arrived late …
all our efforts were in vain,” Ahmed Achour, an Egyptian pharmacist who lives in Jeddah.
“From the moment I sent my Hajj request online, everything was smooth.
I made the application, it was accepted, I paid and then I made an authorization.” This year’s Hajj has been held against the background of the installation of worries about the new Coronavirus variant.
Saudi Arabia has reported more than 510,000 cases including 8,089 deaths.
Amro Al-Maddah, under the Secretary at the Hajj service, told the launch of the Hajj card he hoped “all transactions not to be connected” in the future, with the cards eventually function as a virtual wallet for payment.
King Salman also praised the “digital hajj system” as long as the address in the country managed by the state, said it was intended “reducing the personnel needed to provide Hajj while ensuring the security of pilgrims”.
Pilgrimage, usually one of the largest religious meetings in the world, is seen as a potential super covid spreader and its organization is the main logistics achievement every year.
Deputy Minister of Haji Abdulfattah bin Sulaiman Mashat said the organizers had tried to “use technology to serve pilgrims”.
This year instead of communal water dispensers, robot forces are deployed to distribute sacred water to faithful people.
“Water Zamzam bottled is much better.
There are fewer people and don’t need to queue,” said Pakistan-America Aneela, 37, told AFP.
Pilgrim Egypt Siam said the new technology means the Hajj “Following the Age”.