Al-Riyadh Newspaper, June 6, 2025: Eid-Al-Adha, Logistical Challenges, AI, Surveillance Technologies, Hajj Sermon

These texts center on the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, emphasizing the immense efforts undertaken by the Saudi government to ensure the comfort and safety of the pilgrims. Several articles highlight the logistical challenges of managing the millions of attendees and the innovative solutions being employed, particularly the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced surveillance technologies to monitor crowd movement, prevent bottlenecks, and improve overall efficiency. Additionally, one text features a sermon delivered during the Hajj stressing the spiritual significance of the event and the importance of adhering to religious and regulatory guidelines for a successful pilgrimage.

Modern Management of the Hajj Pilgrimage

Based on the sources provided, Hajj management involves extensive efforts and various aspects overseen by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with a focus on ensuring the safety, security, and comfort of the pilgrims.

Key aspects of Hajj management mentioned in the sources include:

• Overall Efforts and Commitment: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia undertakes immense efforts and provides extensive services for the pilgrims, referred to as “guests of the الرحمن” (Rahman – The Most Gracious). This service is considered a duty that the Kingdom takes pride in performing. The leadership is keen on providing the highest level of services to the pilgrims, recognizing the significant importance of the Hajj season. These efforts are described as exemplary.
• Logistical and Infrastructure Management: Managing millions of pilgrims from over 171 countries moving simultaneously within a geographically limited space is a complex task requiring vast resources and accumulated experience, supported by the latest technologies.
• Security and Safety: Ensuring the security and safety of pilgrims at all stages of Hajj is a primary focus. This involves integrated efforts between security, military, and service agencies. Security forces play a crucial role in organizing pilgrim movement and managing crowds, particularly around the Jamarat facility. Strict compliance with regulations and instructions from relevant authorities is emphasized as a religious and ethical duty to achieve the objectives of Sharia and ensure smooth performance of rituals.
• Transportation Management: Managing transportation is critical for smooth movement between the holy sites (Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina). The Holy Sites Train plays a vital role, with its readiness overseen by the Minister of Interior. The train operates with five flexible operational movements and has a transport capacity of up to 72,000 passengers per hour. Authorities monitor the train’s operations and stations to ensure smooth movement and safety, especially during the Jamarat stoning ritual.
• Service Provision: A wide range of services, including medical, ambulance, and logistical services, are provided across the holy sites. These services are made available free of charge and are supported by the latest technologies and experienced personnel.
• Medical Management: The Ministry of Health deploys innovative solutions, such as using drones and helicopters for medical supply delivery, significantly reducing delivery time. This is a pioneering initiative globally for managing medical supplies during large gatherings. There is also a focus on monitoring and addressing heat stress among pilgrims, advising them to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water, and adhere to regulated movement plans. Integrated health services are provided through call centers like 937, offering consultations and support in multiple languages.
• Crowd Management and Flow: Security and military sectors, in coordination with other entities, supervise pilgrim movement and flow according to detailed plans. AI-powered systems using high-resolution cameras are employed to analyze crowd density, detect unusual behavior, and predict potential congestion or bottlenecks, allowing for rapid intervention and redirection of pilgrims.
• Technological Integration: Technology, particularly Artificial Intelligence, is highlighted as a strategic tool for Hajj management in 1446 AH. AI assists in analyzing data, making rapid decisions, predicting crowd movements, optimizing resource allocation, and improving the quality of services. Applications like “Tawakkalna” provide services such as weather forecasts for the holy sites, helping pilgrims plan their movements.
• Specific Ritual Management: The process for performing rituals like the Jamarat stoning is carefully managed. The facility includes multiple levels, electric escalators, and moving walkways to facilitate pilgrim movement. Preparations are made to reduce the impact of heat stress in areas like the eastern courtyard of the Jamarat facility.
• Food Security and Waste Reduction: The General Authority for Food Security launched a campaign to reduce food loss and waste during Hajj, promoting responsible consumption and food sustainability in line with Islamic teachings.
• Regulatory Compliance: Authorities strongly emphasize obtaining and complying with Hajj permits. Performing Hajj without a permit is considered a serious Sharia violation due to its disregard for regulations and harm to public interest. Security forces are actively monitoring and apprehending those attempting to perform Hajj without permits. Penalties, including fines and deportation, are in place for individuals facilitating or attempting to perform Hajj without the required permits.

Overall, Hajj management is portrayed as a massive, well-coordinated operation involving numerous governmental and private entities, leveraging technology and extensive human resources to facilitate the spiritual journey of millions of pilgrims safely and smoothly. The focus is not just on logistics but also on enhancing the pilgrims’ experience through advanced services and innovative solutions.

Hajj Pilgrim Safety and Security Management

Based on the provided sources, the management of pilgrims’ safety during Hajj is a paramount concern for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, involving extensive efforts and sophisticated strategies. Ensuring the security and safety of the pilgrims, who are referred to as “guests of the Rahman,” is considered a duty and a source of pride for the Kingdom’s leadership. This focus on safety is evident throughout all stages of the Hajj pilgrimage.

Key aspects of pilgrim safety management highlighted in the sources include:

• Overall Commitment and Scale: The Kingdom invests immense efforts and provides extensive services to ensure the safety and security of pilgrims. Managing millions of pilgrims from over 171 countries moving simultaneously in a limited geographic space is a complex undertaking that requires vast resources, accumulated experience, and the latest technologies. The Kingdom is described as having excelled globally in managing these large human crowds.
• Integrated Security Operations: Security and safety are primary focuses, involving integrated efforts among security, military, and service agencies. Security forces play a crucial role in organizing the movement of pilgrims and managing crowds. Officials, including the Minister of Interior and the Director of Public Security, oversee and review security plans and their implementation to ensure safety and tranquility. These forces work together as one team.
• Crowd Management and Flow: Managing crowd density and movement between the holy sites (Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mina) is critical for safety. The Jamarat facility, where the stoning ritual takes place, is designed with multiple levels, escalators, and moving walkways to facilitate pilgrim movement safely. Special Emergency Forces are specifically tasked with crowd management and maintaining order during the stoning ritual.
• Transportation Safety: Transportation management, particularly the Holy Sites Train, is vital for smooth and safe movement. The readiness and operation of the train are overseen by authorities to ensure smooth movement and safety, especially during peak times. Security forces are stationed at train stations to organize pedestrian flow.
• Health and Medical Safety: The Ministry of Health deploys comprehensive medical services across the holy sites. Addressing heat stress is a significant focus for pilgrim safety. Pilgrims are advised to use umbrellas, drink plenty of water, and adhere to regulated movement plans to mitigate the effects of high temperatures. Innovative solutions, such as using drones and helicopters for rapid medical supply delivery, are employed to enhance emergency response and pilgrim safety. Integrated health services, including consultations and support in multiple languages, are available through call centers like 937.
• Technological Integration: Technology, especially Artificial Intelligence (AI) and high-resolution cameras, is a strategic tool for enhancing safety and security. AI-powered systems are used to analyze crowd density, detect unusual behavior, predict potential congestion or bottlenecks, and enable rapid intervention and redirection of pilgrims. This enables proactive planning and rapid decision-making. Mobile applications, like “Tawakkalna,” provide pilgrims with essential information, such as weather forecasts for the holy sites, to help them plan their movements safely. AI can even potentially assist in detecting early health indicators like heat stress by analyzing movement patterns.
• Regulatory Compliance and Unauthorized Hajj: Adherence to regulations and instructions from relevant authorities, particularly obtaining and complying with Hajj permits, is strongly emphasized as crucial for public interest, safety, and smooth performance of rituals. Performing Hajj without a permit is considered a serious Sharia violation due to its disregard for regulations and potential harm to public safety and order. Security forces actively monitor and apprehend those attempting to perform Hajj without permits, and penalties (fines, deportation) are enforced against both individuals attempting unauthorized Hajj and those who facilitate it. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah warns against fraudulent Hajj campaigns lacking permits, emphasizing the importance of official permits for safety and tranquility.

In essence, pilgrim safety during Hajj is managed through a multi-layered approach involving extensive logistical planning, robust security presence, advanced technological systems for monitoring and crowd control, comprehensive medical services, and strict enforcement of regulations to ensure order and prevent overcrowding and associated risks. The entire operation is geared towards enabling millions of pilgrims to perform their rituals in an environment of security, safety, and tranquility.

AI’s Role in Hajj Management 1446 AH

Based on the provided sources, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is a strategic and central element in the management of Hajj for the year 1446 AH, transforming the approach from traditional methods to a more intelligent, safe, and comfortable system. This integration is seen as a qualitative leap and a “technological revolution”, showcasing the Kingdom’s commitment to adopting the latest innovations to serve the “guests of the Rahman”.

AI applications are utilized across various sectors, particularly in security and health, to manage the large human gatherings and enhance the pilgrim experience. Key applications highlighted in the sources include:

• Crowd Management and Flow Analysis: AI-powered systems, supported by a vast network of high-resolution cameras, are used as advanced analytical tools. These systems employ algorithms and deep learning to analyze millions of human behavior data points per second. They can identify crowd flows, monitor excessive densities in specific areas, detect unusual behavioral patterns, and predict potential congestion or bottlenecks. This allows for rapid intervention and proactively anticipating human bottlenecks before they escalate. For example, the system can predict dangerous congestion minutes ahead in a specific route based on current flow, enabling field teams to redirect pilgrims or adjust movement proactively.
• Real-time Monitoring and Safety Mapping: The network of smart cameras and AI provides real-time monitoring, helping to map out safety conditions. This involves analyzing camera data continuously to determine crowd density and movement dynamics.
• Predictive Planning and Strategic Simulation: AI goes beyond real-time response by anticipating future needs and simulating complex scenarios. It can predict human flow accurately at each stage of Hajj (Mina, Mas’a, Mataf, Muzdalifah, Arafat) based on historical data, pilgrim numbers, and detailed schedules. This allows for the management of human and logistical resources and the optimization of resource allocation, such as distributing meals and water proactively. AI can also simulate the impact of unexpected factors like weather changes or sudden increases in pilgrim numbers, and suggest optimal responses, enhancing readiness for potential challenges.
• Optimizing Resource Allocation and Service Quality: By accurately predicting future needs, AI plays a decisive role in allocating resources more efficiently. This includes guiding the distribution of ambulances, assigning guidance teams, and optimizing the supply of water and beverages. AI helps ensure necessary resources reach the right place at the optimal time, reducing waste and improving the quality of services for pilgrims.
• Facilitating Immediate Decision-Making: Speed in decision-making is crucial, and AI acts as a core component by providing officials in control rooms with interactive smart dashboards displaying real-time data on crowd status. It can issue proactive alerts and specific, immediate recommendations to relevant authorities, significantly reducing response time from minutes to seconds. AI can even automatically direct field teams to areas needing urgent intervention based on its analysis.
• Coordination Platform: AI can function as a unified platform for collecting and exchanging real-time information between different entities involved in Hajj management, such as security forces, health services, and logistics. This helps coordinate responses seamlessly and ensures all parties work together in harmony.
• Health and Safety Monitoring: AI and high-resolution cameras can go beyond simple monitoring to potentially detect early health indicators among pilgrims. This includes analyzing irregular walking patterns, repeated stopping, or detecting signs of fatigue or heat stress based on physical condition analysis, allowing for early medical intervention.
• Personalized Pilgrim Guidance: AI-supported applications, such as Tawakkalna, can provide pilgrims with personalized and immediate guidance based on their real geographic location and the surrounding crowd status. This includes suggesting the best times to perform rituals to avoid severe congestion, indicating less crowded and safer routes, or even offering personalized health tips based on their condition and forecasts.
• Improving Facility Dynamics: AI can contribute to improving the dynamics of transportation (like the Holy Sites Train and buses) and essential facilities by predicting congestion and suggesting alternatives.
• Enhancing Guidance Strategies: AI can analyze crowd behavior in different locations to provide valuable insights for organizing entities. This helps in understanding common behaviors, identifying areas where pilgrims tend to stop and impede flow, and developing more effective cultural awareness and behavioral guidance campaigns.

AI technologies, along with systems like “ميدان”, “بسري”, “سوهر”, “المدن الذكية”, and “روؤى”, are leveraged for data analysis and supporting decision-makers to enhance the quality of security and organizational performance in Hajj management. This integrated approach aims to ensure the safety, tranquility, and ease of the pilgrimage for millions of guests.

Securing the Hajj Pilgrimage

Based on the provided sources and our previous discussion, security efforts during Hajj are incredibly comprehensive and are considered a primary focus for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These efforts are vital for ensuring the safety, security, and tranquility of millions of pilgrims performing rituals simultaneously in a confined geographic area.

Here’s a breakdown of the security efforts:

• Overall Commitment and Priority: Ensuring the security and safety of the pilgrims is a fundamental commitment and a source of pride for the Kingdom’s leadership. It is considered a complex undertaking requiring immense resources, accumulated experience, and the latest technologies. The Kingdom has excelled globally in managing these large crowds with high professionalism.
• Integrated Operations: Security and safety are managed through integrated efforts involving various security, military, and service agencies. These forces work together as one team under the oversight of officials like the Minister of Interior and the Director of Public Security. The Minister of Interior emphasizes the importance of integration between these entities, which has contributed to achieving positive results during the pilgrims’ arrival and movement through the holy sites. They review and implement security plans to ensure the tranquility and safety of pilgrims.
• Leadership Oversight: High-ranking officials, including the Minister of Interior (who also heads the Supreme Hajj Committee) and the Director of Public Security (head of the Security Committee for Hajj), are directly involved in overseeing and reviewing security readiness and the implementation of plans. They hold meetings with security and military leaders participating in the Hajj mission.
• Operational Security & Crowd Management:Security forces are strategically positioned throughout the holy sites and on routes to organize the movement of pilgrims and manage crowds. This includes surrounding vehicle roads and pedestrian paths.
• Specific forces, such as the Special Emergency Forces and Facilities Security Forces, are tasked with crucial roles like organizing pedestrian flow, crowd management, and maintaining order, especially around critical areas like the Jamarat facility and train stations. The Minister of Interior specifically inspected the readiness of these forces.
• Managing the density and movement of pilgrims between Arafat, Muzdalifah, and Mina, particularly during the stoning ritual at Jamarat, is a key security task. Improvements at the Jamarat facility, including multi-level access, escalators, and moving walkways, are designed to facilitate safe movement, supported by security oversight.
• Technology Integration for Security:AI technology and high-resolution cameras are strategic tools explicitly mentioned for enhancing security and organizational performance during Hajj.
• A vast network of high-resolution cameras, functioning as “vigilant eyes,” is used for real-time monitoring across the holy sites.
• AI-powered analytical systems analyze crowd data, identify flows, monitor excessive densities, detect unusual behavior patterns, and predict potential congestion or bottlenecks. This enables rapid intervention and proactive management of human bottlenecks.
• These systems help map out safety conditions by continuously analyzing crowd density and movement dynamics.
• AI contributes to planning and simulation, accurately predicting human flow at each stage of Hajj (Mina, Mas’a, Mataf, Muzdalifah, Arafat) to optimize the allocation of human and logistical resources, including security personnel.
• Control rooms equipped with AI-powered smart dashboards provide real-time data to officials, enabling immediate decision-making and issuing proactive alerts and recommendations to relevant authorities, reducing response time significantly. AI can even automatically direct field teams to areas needing urgent intervention.
• AI can function as a unified platform for collecting and exchanging real-time information between different entities, including security forces, to coordinate responses seamlessly.
• Combating Unauthorized Hajj:A major security effort is focused on preventing and addressing Hajj without permits. Adherence to regulations and obtaining Hajj permits is strongly emphasized as crucial for public interest, safety, and the smooth performance of rituals.
• Performing Hajj without a permit is explicitly described as a serious Sharia violation due to its disregard for regulations and potential harm to public safety and order. It is considered a transgression against public interest and the instructions of the ruler.
• Security forces actively monitor and apprehend individuals attempting unauthorized Hajj. They are described as being “in the lookout” for violators.
• Strict penalties are enforced against those who attempt unauthorized Hajj and those who facilitate it, including fines (up to 20,000 SAR for individuals, up to 100,000 SAR per facilitator per violator), deportation, and entry bans into the Kingdom for specific periods (e.g., 10 years for those attempting unauthorized Hajj).
• There are warnings against fraudulent Hajj campaigns and emphasis on using official channels and permits for safety and tranquility. Security efforts include identifying and addressing fake campaigns.

In summary, security efforts during Hajj are multi-faceted, involving high-level commitment, integrated operations across various agencies, hands-on crowd management, strategic deployment of advanced technology (especially AI and cameras), and strict enforcement of regulations, particularly against unauthorized Hajj, all aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of the pilgrims.

Hajj Infrastructure and Services: Scale, Innovation, and Management

Based on the provided sources and our conversation, the discussion on infrastructure and services during Hajj highlights the immense scale, strategic importance, and advanced implementation of the systems in place to ensure the safety, comfort, and spiritual journey of millions of pilgrims. These efforts are a source of pride for the Kingdom and are described as requiring gigantic efforts, huge capabilities, accumulated experience, and the latest technologies.

Here’s a breakdown of the key aspects related to infrastructure and services:

1. Overall Commitment and Scale:

• The Kingdom’s leadership is committed to providing the highest level of services to the guests of the Rahman, making the Hajj journey purely spiritual.
• Managing millions of pilgrims moving simultaneously in a limited geographic space is not an easy task and requires vast material and trained human capabilities. The Kingdom has excelled globally in managing these large crowds with high professionalism.
• All services are available and facilitated at all stages of Hajj.

1. Integrated Management and Oversight:

• Service provision is managed through integrated efforts involving various security, military, and service agencies. This integration has contributed to positive results in pilgrim arrival and movement.
• High-level officials oversee and review readiness and implementation of plans, emphasizing the importance of coordination between entities.

1. Key Physical Infrastructure and Facilities:

• The Holy Sites themselves (Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, Mas’a, Mataf) serve as the core geographical infrastructure.
• Roads and pedestrian paths are part of the infrastructure, with security monitoring to organize movement and ensure safety.
• Camps and accommodations are prepared to receive pilgrims in Arafat and Mina.
• The Jamarat facility is a crucial piece of infrastructure for the stoning ritual, featuring multi-level access, escalators, and moving walkways designed to facilitate safe crowd movement. Security forces, like the Facilities Security Forces and Special Emergency Forces, are specifically tasked with organizing pedestrian flow and crowd management around it and train stations.
• Transportation infrastructure includes the Holy Sites Train and buses. The train is highlighted as being ready for transporting pilgrims, with specific operational plans and delegation mechanisms to ensure smooth operation and safety. It consists of 17 carriages with a capacity of 3,000 passengers per train, achieving a collective capacity of 72,000 passengers per hour, operating with flexible movements at speeds up to 80 km/h.
• Development projects are undertaken in the holy sites, such as the Jabal Al-Rahma shading project. This project involves innovative umbrellas and materials (reflecting over 47% of sunlight) to mitigate heat stress, enhance pilgrim comfort and health, and is part of efforts to enrich the pilgrim experience and enable rituals with ease.
• In the context of readiness for the Eid period which overlaps with Hajj, sources also mention municipal efforts related to public interest markets, slaughterhouses, parks, gardens, and streets, including cleaning, monitoring, and beautification.

1. Essential Services Provided:

• Medical, ambulance, and supply services are provided in Arafat and throughout the holy sites with high readiness and integrated work plans.
• The Ministry of Health’s 937 Call Center offers integrated health services 24/7 via a unified number. It is staffed by specialists speaking 7 languages (Arabic, English, French, Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Farsi) to facilitate communication with pilgrims of various nationalities. Services include medical consultations by doctors, receiving urgent reports, coordinating with health facilities, handling complaints, and assisting in finding missing or hospitalized pilgrims.
• Innovative Medical Supply Chain: For Hajj 1446 AH, the Ministry of Health has activated drones and helicopters within the medical supply system in cooperation with NUPCO. Drones transport urgent medical items, reducing delivery time to certain facilities from an hour to about 5 minutes. Helicopters supply facilities in high-density areas to bypass traffic. These are considered pioneering initiatives in smart medical supply management for large crowds.
• Food Services & Waste Reduction: The General Food Security Authority launched the “Hajj Without Waste” campaign to raise awareness about responsible consumption and reduce food loss and waste, contributing to food sustainability and reducing environmental/economic impacts.
• Water and beverage distribution is mentioned, with AI helping optimize its allocation.
• Guidance services are provided by teams and increasingly supported by technology.

1. Technology Integration (AI, Cameras, Platforms):

• AI technology and a vast network of high-resolution cameras are central to enhancing organizational performance and managing services.
• These systems act as advanced analytical tools, analyzing human behavior data for crowd management, identifying flows, excessive densities, and predicting congestion to enable rapid intervention and proactive adjustment of movement.
• AI contributes to planning and strategic simulation, predicting human flow at each stage to optimize the allocation of human and logistical resources, including distributing meals and water proactively.
• It aids in optimizing resource allocation for services like ambulances, guidance teams, and water supplies, ensuring resources reach the right place at the optimal time.
• AI provides real-time data via smart dashboards in control rooms, facilitating immediate decision-making and issuing proactive alerts and recommendations to relevant authorities. It can even automatically direct field teams to areas needing urgent intervention.
• AI can serve as a unified platform for collecting and exchanging real-time information among different service entities (health, logistics) for seamless coordination.
• AI-supported applications, like “Tawakkalna”, offer personalized guidance to pilgrims based on their location and crowd status, suggesting optimal times/routes to avoid congestion or providing personalized health tips. Tawakkalna specifically provides daily weather forecasts to help pilgrims plan their movements and rituals.
• AI helps improve the dynamics of transportation (train, buses) and essential facilities by predicting congestion and suggesting alternatives.
• Specific platforms mentioned in the Hajj Operations Center supporting data analysis and decision-makers for organizational performance include “Midan”, “Basri”, “Sohar”, “Smart Cities”, and “Ru’a”.

1. Regulations and Compliance:

• Adherence to regulations, instructions, and guidelines for Hajj organization is emphasized as crucial for public interest, safety, and the smooth performance of rituals. This adherence is seen as a religious and ethical duty.
• Official platforms like “Nusuk” and “Tasreeh” are used for issuing Hajj permits, and Hajj companies are expected to cooperate to ensure pilgrims perform rituals safely and easily using official channels.
• Municipalities intensify monitoring of facilities like markets and slaughterhouses to ensure they meet health and technical requirements before and during the Hajj/Eid period.

In essence, the infrastructure and services for Hajj are not static but are being actively developed and enhanced, particularly through the strategic integration of technology like AI and drones, to manage the complexities of hosting millions while prioritizing pilgrim safety, health, and ease in line with the goals of the Guests of Rahman Program and Vision 2030.

By Amjad Izhar
Contact: amjad.izhar@gmail.com
https://amjadizhar.blog

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