The sessions of the 19th Scientific Forum for Hajj and Umrah Research, organized by the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research at Umm Al-Qura University, were held this morning in collaboration and partnership with Taibah University. The sessions will be carried out in the period starting from 29 to 30 Jumada Al-Thani, 1440 A.H., corresponding to 6 and 7 March 14, 2019 A.C., at Taibah University in Madinah, in the presence of His Excellency Prof. Abdullah bin Omar Bafail, President of Umm Al-Qura University (UQU), and His Excellency the President of Taibah University, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Sarani. A number of researchers and those interested in the fields of Hajj and Umrah offered their participation in the event.

The first session, headed by His Excellency Dr. Hatem Al-Marzouqi, President of the Islamic University, discussed the theme of humanity and media studies. The paper presented by Dr. Ibrahim Amer (Taif University) discussed "The ideal Image of the Pilgrim as Delineated in the Qur'anic Composition". On his part, the Dean of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Dr. Samy bin Yassin Barhamain, discussed "Crowd Service: a New Concept from the Social Engineering Perspective: Al-Masjid Al-Haram as a Practical Model".

In the first session, Dr. Sumaya Sharaf, a UQU researcher, discussed the voluntary work charter for Hajj and Umrah. Moreover, the researcher Fawzia Al-Zahrani presented her paper entitled, "Using the Integrated Interaction Model to Narrate Islamic History in Madinah". The session was concluded with a paper by Marwan Sultan which discussed "The Application of a Game-based Learning System to Facilitate the Performance of the Rituals of Hajj and Umrah".

The second session focused on environment and health themes, and was headed by the Vice President of the University for Educational Affairs, Dr. Abdul-Aziz Suruji. In this second session, Dr. Muhammad Al-Sufian presented a paper prepared by Dr. Abdul-Rahim Al-Hammadi from the Saudi Standards, Metrology and Quality Organization (SASO). The paper studied "The Impact of Different Types of Ihram Services on the Environment, Performance and Sustainability". Dr. Ibrahim Abdul-Rahim, a researcher at the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, also presented a paper entitled, "Assessment of the Environmental and Health Status in Miqat Al-Haleifa during the 1439 A.H. Hajj Season". Moreover, Dr. Hassan Haridi from the General Directorate of Health Affairs, Hail Region, presented a working paper on "The Compliance of Pilgrims in Taking the Influenza Vaccination, and the Reasons for the Non-Compliance during the 1439 A.H. Hajj Season in Makkah."

Furthermore, a paper presented by Dr. Sajj Al-Balawi from King Abdulaziz University addressed "The Employment of Lin's Method to Meet the Food Needs of the Pilgrims and Reduce the Food Waste in Hajj and Umrah." Dr. Abdullah Al-Sibai, a researcher at the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, also presented a paper entitled "Evaluation of Solid Waste Management System at Al-Masjid Al-Haram during the Ramadan season".

The third session focused on the theme of initiatives and efforts launched in the service of the guests of the Merciful. The session was chaired by His Excellency the President of Taibah University Dr. Abdul-Aziz Al-Sarani, and discussed the initiative proposed by Abdullah Abdul-Rahman, a researcher at the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, regarding the problem of illegal camping of pilgrims at the Prophet's Mosque during I`tikaf (seclusion for worship in the Masjid during Ramadan), and proposing solutions for the problem.

During this session, the Head of the Performance Assessment Team of Government Agencies, who is involved in the implementation of the Hajj Public Emergency Plan for the Hajj season 1439 A.H., presented a paper entitled, "Crowd Traffic Modeling". Moreover, Dr. Anas Khan (Ministry of Health) discussed the initiative of Health Security in Hajj. The Vice-Dean of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Dr. Mazen Al-Shamrani, also discussed a working paper on the initiative of the smart cities system of Makkah, Madinah, and the holy places, from theory to application and development.