The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research at Umm Al-Qura University held the annual researchers meeting for the 1440 A.H. Hajj Season, under the honorable patronage of His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Muhammad Salih bin Tahir Benten, on Thursday. The meeting was held in King Abdulaziz Support Hall 1 at Al-Abdiyyah Campus in the presence of the Acting President of Umm Al-Qura University, Dr. Abdul-Majeed bin Sa`id Al-Ghamdi, the Assistant Commander of Grand Mosque Security Forces, Brigadier Dr. Badr bin Saud Al Saud, and the Advisor to the Minister of Hajj and Umrah and the Spokesman of the Ministry Dr. Hatem Qadi. The meeting was held to discuss the studies conducted this year.

The Dean of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research, Dr. Basim Qadi, stressed that the institute's researchers conducted 42 studies in various fields during this Hajj season. These included studies on artificial intelligence and machine learning to study the data of pilgrims during their stay in Makkah, and another study in the economic field to estimate the inflation rates and analyze the expenditure of non-Saudi pilgrims. They also conducted studies in the field of crises, such as the risks of floods and their impact on power generation facilities.

System development:

Dr. Basim Qadi said: "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research serves as a major reference for studies, research, consultation, training, and planning related to the development of the Hajj and Umrah system that contributes to realizing the purposes of Hajj and Umrah, improving the services and facilities to serve the guests of the Merciful, and enriching their religious\spiritual and cultural experience."

One of the qualitative studies carried out by the institute during the current year was a study investigating the possibility of installing toilets in the Holy Mosques, which required survey fieldwork to collect and analyze the data, take measurements, and collect samples from the environment of the Sacred Sites, the two Holy Mosques, and their yards. The study aims to consider the possibility of installing toilets in Al-Masjid Al-Haram to ease the human flow to the toilets in the yards and address the entry and exit problems in the Holy Mosque at peak times.