MAKKAH — All details of the new technology that will be used next Haj to prevent pilgrims with no Haj licenses from entering the holy sites will be announced in September, according to Abdul Aziz Soroji, dean of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Haj and Umrah Research Institute at Umm Al-Qura University. Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar announced early this week that electronic gates will be erected at seven entry points to Makkah to detect pilgrims without permits and prevent them from entering the holy sites. Hajjar said squatting outdoors was still the biggest challenge for the authorities in Haj. The Makkah Emir's office directed the institute to supervise the new technology that will be used by checkpoint officers at Makkah entrances, Soroji added. The institute signed a cooperation agreement with Makkah Mayoralty to benefit from the Haj research and studies the mayoralty has conducted in the past. Soroji said: “The practice of performing Haj without official permits has been a constant source of worry for pertinent authorities that work during this Haj. “We're studying everything meticulously and scrutinizing all details to come up with the best results from the study we've been working on.” He hopes that the study curbed this practice and allowed authorities to perform their services during Haj without having to worry about the influx of pilgrims with no Haj permits. In addition to the above study, the institute is supervising the major projects including a crowd management system, the Ministry of Haj's strategic plan and an urban observatory.
