High-Tech Hajj

Pilgrims have been visiting Mecca since before the advent of Islam. The centuries-old tradition looked considerably different this year, and for more than one reason. Heightened health precautions were to be expected amid the Covid-19 pandemic, but Saudi authorities are sharply ramping up their technological game. They issued color-coded digital “hajj cards” that contain information about individual pilgrims, their accommodations, and their mobile phone number. The cards provide touchless access to sites, accommodations, and transportation, and they regulate timed entry. The badge colors correspond to arrows on the ground directing pilgrims’ movements. In addition, the cards continuously broadcast the pilgrim’s location to security officials.

Sharply reduced hajj numbers due to Covid-19 restrictions provided a prime opportunity to beta-test new technology to keep pilgrims healthy. One such innovation is robots distributing bottles of Zamzam water without direct contact. The water is drawn from a nearby well that, according to Muslim tradition, first nourished the wife and son of the Prophet Abraham. Still, attempts to manage Mecca’s crowds began well before the pandemic. An especially chaotic 2015 stampede reportedly killed more than 2,400 pilgrims and led to allegations of Saudi mismanagement of the holy sites.

Efforts to better control pilgrims have been rolling in since then. In 2016, the Saudi government issued bracelets—similar to those given to hospital patients—with a QR code identifying each pilgrim. In 2018, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah released plans to provide all pilgrims with Bluetooth-enabled e-watches and earpieces by 2029. The ministry has been releasing an ever-expanding assortment of smartphone apps to help orient pilgrims, and to market to them. Like most smartphone innovations, the price of convenience is privacy. To many pilgrims, however, privacy is the last thing they expect at an annual ritual that draws 2.5 million people in an average year.

This article is part of the CSIS Middle East Program series Mezze: Assorted Stories from the Middle East.