RIYADH: As Saudi Arabia gears up for this year’s Hajj, the Presidency of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has launched a new smart portal to enhance the digital experience of pilgrims to the Grand Mosque.
The initiative offers well-curated Islamic content in a simplified and comprehensive manner that addresses the needs of pilgrims, visitors and Umrah performers, reported the Saudi Press Agency.
The portal offers a fully integrated digital platform dedicated to delivering religious and enrichment services.
President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, said it was the first smart, faith-based portal of its kind — innovative, globally accessible and highly regulated.
Designed in multiple languages, it serves as an enrichment reference for pilgrims based on a carefully curated and standardized database.
The interactive platform is powered by several smart technologies and offers a range of features including prayer time displays, notifications about imams and muezzins, and schedules of religious lessons and their locations. It is distinguished by an interactive navigation feature that allows visitors to directly access service and lesson locations using smart maps within the app.
The portal also enables instant responses to visitor queries through live chat and provides guidance on how to perform prayer and ablution, along with definitions of Islamic terms. It can be accessed via https://services.prh.gov.sa.
The Presidency also unveiled the updated second version of its AI-powered Manarat Al-Haramain robot on Wednesday, as part of an initiative aiming to leverage advanced technologies to enhance pilgrims’ spiritual experiences.
The robot will act as a reference point for religious inquiries at the Grand Mosque and can connect worshippers and other visitors to direct video calls with muftis who can answer any questions they have.
