With the arrival of the holy month of Ramadan, which sees the peak influx of Muslims from around the world to Mecca and Medina, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's digital efforts to facilitate the pilgrimage for visitors are highlighted. At the forefront of these efforts is the "Tawakkalna Services" application, a comprehensive national platform, through its "Hajj Portal," which offers a complete suite of digital services specifically designed to serve pilgrims and visitors, ensuring a well-organized and convenient spiritual experience.
Background of digital transformation in serving the Two Holy Mosques
These digital services represent the culmination of a long journey of digital transformation undertaken by the Kingdom as part of its Vision 2030 goals, which aim to enhance the quality of services provided to citizens, residents, and visitors. The “Tawakkalna” application initially emerged as a vital tool for managing the COVID-19 pandemic, used to issue movement permits and track health status. However, it quickly evolved into a unified and comprehensive government platform, now encompassing more than 650 diverse government services, reflecting an integrated digital experience that simplifies individuals' lives and supports the efficiency of government agencies.
The most important services of the Hajj rituals portal in the “Tawakkalna” application
The “Hajj Portal” within the “Tawakkalna” app is the digital arm of the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, enabling users to easily organize their religious journey. Key services available during Ramadan include:
- Issuing and reviewing Umrah and prayer permits in the Prophet’s Mosque: This service allows pilgrims and visitors to book specific appointments to perform their rituals, which effectively contributes to managing and distributing crowds throughout the day, reduces congestion, and ensures everyone’s safety.
- Viewing the Reserved Capacity Index: The portal provides a visual indicator showing the occupancy levels in the Two Holy Mosques, helping users to choose less crowded times to perform their religious rites.
- Managing companion data: The user can add and manage the data of their family members or companions, and issue the necessary permits for them through their personal account, which facilitates procedures for families and groups.
- Follow prayer times and imams of the two holy mosques: The application provides accurate information about prayer times in various cities of the Kingdom, in addition to a schedule of prayer imams in the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque.
Local and international impact of digital services
Domestically, these services contribute to an unprecedented smooth flow of pilgrims and enhance the ability of security and regulatory authorities to manage crowds with high efficiency, especially during the last ten days of Ramadan. Internationally, these digital platforms, which complement the “Nusk” platform dedicated to visitors from outside the Kingdom, paint a bright picture of the technological advancements Saudi Arabia has achieved in serving pilgrims. They reinforce the Kingdom’s position as a leading religious destination, capable of accommodating millions and providing them with a safe and comfortable spiritual experience, which directly contributes to the goals of Vision 2030 related to developing the religious tourism and digital transformation sectors.
In addition to the above, “Tawakkalna” provides other supporting religious services such as accurately determining the direction of the Qibla, the Holy Quran for reading, and the services of the “Ihsan” platform, which facilitates the electronic submission of donations and alms, thus embodying the concept of a comprehensive platform that meets all the user’s religious and life needs in one place.
