São Paulo – Saudi Arabians have created the ‘Smart Hajj’ initiative to help Muslims in their religious pilgrimage to Mecca, with apps to assist with travel plans, medical care and navigation around the holiest sites of Islam, Dubai-based magazine Arabian Business’ online version reported.
Asefny, for instance, is an app released by the Red Crescent in Saudi Arabia to aid pilgrims in requesting emergency medical assistance by enabling authorities to track down a subject’s location.
Manasikana, from the Saudi Ministry of Hajj, provides translation services to pilgrims who don’t speak Arabic nor English.
Both applications are freely downloadable and available in Android and iOS.
Two million Muslims are expected to descend upon Mecca for the pilgrimage. As of last Thursday (17), over 1.6 million had arrived in Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, which is slated to take place from Sunday (19) through Friday (24). In the photo at the beginning of this story, Muslims circle the Kaaba, at the heart of the Great Mosque of Mecca.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
