MAKKAH: In a display of the care Saudi Arabia lavishes on pilgrims, the General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque expanded its services this year at the Grand Mosque for elderly pilgrims and those with disabilities, drawing on a combination of on-site facilities and smart technology. The goal is to allow them to perform rituals with ease and reassurance, in surroundings designed around their human, medical, and mobility needs.
In a statement to Arab News, the authority said its operating plans for this year’s Hajj centered on improving the quality of service for these groups by setting aside suitable gates, elevators, and prayer areas, supplying free electric carts, and assigning teams of male and female volunteers to help with movement and offer guidance directly inside the mosque and its courtyards.
That effort, the authority noted, went beyond the practical on-the-ground measures to include modern and smart tools for easing movement and access. Digital screens and interactive maps were placed throughout the mosque and its courtyards to steer elderly and disabled worshippers swiftly and simply to the locations, services, and routes best suited to them.
