MAKKAH: Speakers at the Haj Research forum on Wednesday agreed that facilitating smoother movement of pilgrims during the Haj and Umrah seasons must be a priority.“Changes and developments in recent years, such as the annual increase in the number of pilgrims and easier access to the Kingdom, warrant the need to chalk out smart plans for safer and comfortable pilgrimages in the coming years,” Undersecretary of the Haj Research Institute Basim Zafar said in the first session on the second day of the forum. On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Second Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Prince Naif inaugurated the forum on Tuesday.
“Toward Realizing the Vision” is the title of the forum, which is organized by the Haj Research Institute of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. Zafar stressed the need to organize pedestrian movement so that it was more controlled. The session carried the title, “Crowd Management in Haj.”
Undersecretary at the Ministry of Haj for Transportation Sahl Al-Sabban said a foolproof scheme was being developed to simplify the process of grouping pilgrims and taking them to the Jamarat.
Another speaker suggested the need for devising a computerized simulation of the movement of pilgrims in order to study various aspects of mass behavior and take precautionary steps to safeguard against potentially hazardous incidents.
Ghazi Al-Daejani of Umm Al-Qura University said: “Close observation of huge crowds enables the institute to prepare a database to handle different situations in Haj.” Rector of the College of Engineering and Islamic studies at Umm Al-Qura University Hamzah Ghilman chaired the second session, carrying the title “Transportation in Haj.”
Adil Bardeesi of the General Car Syndicate explained the effectiveness of organizing continuous trips to move pilgrims from airports to their residences in order to minimize the waiting period and crowding at airports and other places.
Muhammad Al-Deraibi of the Umm Al-Qura University stressed the need for a network of smart transportation for Haj pilgrims.
An official of the syndicate pointed out the advantage of GPS and interactive maps for locating broken down buses. An academic from Taiba University Muhammad Numan spoke on the evaluation and regulation of traffic movement around the Prophet’s Mosque.
Undersecretary at the institute for academic development and social service Fadil Othman discussed the primary results of the experimental implementation of the Mashair Railway during the last Haj season. The speed and efficiency in the movement of pilgrims to and from Arafat and other locations in the holy sites has been encouraging and justified the demand for more similar services during the next Haj season. Vice President of the King Abdullah City for Nuclear and Renewable Energy Waleed Abu Al-Faraj chaired the third session entitled “Urban and Engineering Studies.” “Toward Realizing the Vision” is the title of the forum, which is organized by the Haj Research Institute of Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. Zafar stressed the need to organize pedestrian movement so that it was more controlled. The session carried the title, “Crowd Management in Haj.”
Undersecretary at the Ministry of Haj for Transportation Sahl Al-Sabban said a foolproof scheme was being developed to simplify the process of grouping pilgrims and taking them to the Jamarat.
Another speaker suggested the need for devising a computerized simulation of the movement of pilgrims in order to study various aspects of mass behavior and take precautionary steps to safeguard against potentially hazardous incidents.
Ghazi Al-Daejani of Umm Al-Qura University said: “Close observation of huge crowds enables the institute to prepare a database to handle different situations in Haj.” Rector of the College of Engineering and Islamic studies at Umm Al-Qura University Hamzah Ghilman chaired the second session, carrying the title “Transportation in Haj.”
Adil Bardeesi of the General Car Syndicate explained the effectiveness of organizing continuous trips to move pilgrims from airports to their residences in order to minimize the waiting period and crowding at airports and other places.
Muhammad Al-Deraibi of the Umm Al-Qura University stressed the need for a network of smart transportation for Haj pilgrims.
An official of the syndicate pointed out the advantage of GPS and interactive maps for locating broken down buses. An academic from Taiba University Muhammad Numan spoke on the evaluation and regulation of traffic movement around the Prophet’s Mosque.
A major speaker in the session, Secretary-General of the Makkah and Holy Sites Development Authority Sami Ibrahim, briefly outlined the comprehensive plan for Makkah and the holy sites and the importance of improving living conditions of residents in Makkah. The authority’s future plans are based on the estimate that the population of Makkah will grow to 2.6 million in 20 years.
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