Today, His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz bin Saud bin Naif bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Minister of Interior and Chairman of the Higher Hajj Committee, inaugurated a symposium entitled, 'The Use of Advanced Technologies in Hajj-Related Work (Smart Hajj)’, which was organized by the General Administration of Medical Services at the Ministry of Interior, in collaboration with Umm Al-Qura University, the Public Security, and the Saudi Health Council. The symposium was attended by the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Muhammad Salih Benten; the General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Dr. Abdul-Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais; and the Acting President of Umm Al-Qura University, Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Ghamdi. This took place in King Abdulaziz Historical Hall at the UQU campus in Al-Abdiyyah.

The General Director of the General Administration of Medical Services at the Ministry of Interior, Dr. Sulaiman Al-Suhaimi, clarified that this symposium aims to establish a number of concepts, among the most important of which are: showing the attention given by the wise leadership to Hajj and the guests of Allah, including pilgrims and Mu`tamirs, and establishing the concept of comprehensive security adopted by the Ministry of Interior under the patronage and follow-up of His Excellency the Minister of Interior. The symposium also stresses the importance of employing advanced technologies in serving the pilgrims and Mu`tamirs, in order for this concept to be part of the broader structure of the planning for smart Hajj, within the framework of the Saudi Vision 2030.

The Acting President of Umm Al-Qura University, Dr. Abdul-Majeed Al-Ghamdi, mentioned that this symposium aims to discuss and examine the recent updates in the field of technology, which will improve and accelerate the provision of health and security services to the guests of Allah in an accurate manner. He added that this symposium highlights the fact that the Saudi Kingdom and all its sectors have harnessed all its capabilities to serve the guests of Allah. Moreover, it highlights the steady progress achieved in the quality of the services offered, and how these services keep up with the modern era and suit the different requirements, in order to fulfill the goals of the Saudi Vision 2030.

Dr. Abdul-Majeed clarified that the efforts exerted by the government of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (may Allah safeguard it) in the service of Hajj are clear to everyone, as it has left no stone unturned, has exerted every possible effort, and has provided all its capabilities, efforts, and services to serve the guests of Allah. He added that the government also cares for the comfort and ease of the guests of Allah, as it offers great services and work, ensuring that the services are of a high quality and are developed every year in a manner that is in line with the programs included in the Saudi Vision. It is worth mentioning that the government has established a royal authority to focus on the services offered to the guests of Allah. Moreover, Dr. Abdul-Majeed indicated that the university is only a brick in the broader structure of this generous country, seeking to harness all its material capabilities, human resources, services, institutes, and colleges for the sake of this sublime mission. This has been implemented by holding partnerships with government authorities and service sectors that provide convenient services to the guests of Allah.

His Excellency the Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr. Muhammad Salih Benten, said the Saudi Kingdom and all its sectors have acquired great experience in crowd management through employing technology in the service of the guests of Allah (starting from the initial preparations to the pleasant memories held by the pilgrims). These services undergo several stages: the preparations that precede the arrival of the pilgrims, followed by the arrangements made for the arrival and transportation of the pilgrims. The services also include the preparations related to the infrastructure, housing, security and safety of the pilgrims, the sacred sites, performance of the rituals, grouping of the pilgrims, crowd management, health, accommodation, catering services, visits to different historical sites, facilities, quality, and surveillance. In addition, the Saudi Kingdom makes preparations for the departure of the pilgrims until they travel to their countries, and also seeks to provide all the services in a fully automated and technological manner.

His Excellency the Minister of Hajj clarified that approximately two million electronic visas have been issued since the start of Dhul-Qi`dah of the previous year. He added that the ministry has created a database for every pilgrim who has arrived at the kingdom. It also collaborates with the relevant sectors in order to offer the optimum services required by the pilgrims for them to perform the rituals of Hajj easily and smoothly.

At the end of the event, His Excellency took a tour of the exhibition accompanying the symposium, which included several contributions from the participating parties.