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Saudi Arabia Mobilizes Resources to Serve Pilgrims

Saudi security men monitoring all corners of the Grand Mosque. (Mohammed Al-Manea)
Saudi security men monitoring all corners of the Grand Mosque. (Mohammed Al-Manea)
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Saudi Arabia Mobilizes Resources to Serve Pilgrims

Saudi security men monitoring all corners of the Grand Mosque. (Mohammed Al-Manea)
Saudi security men monitoring all corners of the Grand Mosque. (Mohammed Al-Manea)

Saudi Arabia has deployed all its human and technological resources to serve Umrah pilgrims and visitors. Approximately 36 million pilgrims were transported to the holy city of Makkah during this year’s holy month of Ramadan.

With the influx of pilgrims and visitors increasing, the Kingdom’s security agencies are placing numerous advanced smart cameras with advanced recognition capabilities to cover all areas and courtyards of the Grand Mosque.

The Command and Control Center for Umrah Security and the Operations Center for the Grand Mosque manage this system, ensuring the comfort and safety of the visitors of the holy Kaaba, enabling them to perform their rituals in peace and security.

Moreover, there is a trend to expand the use of technology inside the Grand Mosque and its courtyards, Asharq Al-Awsat learned from informed sources.

The Operations Center confirmed that the Grand Mosque is on the verge of integrating major technological advancements.

This includes smart cameras capable of crowd counting and alerting authorities of high traffic density. The cameras are also capable of identifying which way heavy crowds can be diverted.

Technology is present in every aspect of life in the Kingdom, from the “Absher” app, for services provided by the Interior Ministry, to the “Tawakkalna” app, provided by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SADAI).

Many other apps and services are offered by various entities in the Kingdom.

Upon arriving at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, visitors can immediately sense the technological activity and its results. As they step onto its outer courtyards, pilgrims realize that every step they take is part of a great effort.

They feel that there are watchful eyes, caring hearts, and helpful hands that work to ensure their comfort, allowing them to focus on worship without any disturbances.

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Varieties

‘Secret City’ Discovered Underneath Greenland’s Ice Sheets

Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
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‘Secret City’ Discovered Underneath Greenland’s Ice Sheets

Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)
Construction on the mysterious base began in 1959 (Getty)

Deep below the thick ice of Greenland lies a labyrinth of tunnels that were once thought to be the safest place on Earth in case of a war.

First created during the Cold War, Project Iceworm saw the US plan to store hundreds of ballistic missiles in a system of tunnels dubbed “Camp Century,” Britain’s the METRO newspaper reported on Wednesday.

At the time, it said, US military chiefs had hoped to launch a nuclear attack on the Soviet Union during the height of Cold War tensions if things escalated.

But less than a decade after it was built, the base was abandoned in 1967 after researchers realized the glacier was moving.

Now, the sprawling sub-zero tunnels have been brought back to attention in the stunning new images.

Alex Gardner, a cryospheric scientist at Nasa’s jet propulsion laboratory said: “We were looking for the bed of the ice and out pops Camp Century. We didn’t know what it was at first. In the new data, individual structures in the secret city are visible in a way that they’ve never been before.”

The underground three-kilometer network of tunnels played host to labs, shops, a cinema, a hospital, and accommodation for hundreds of soldiers.

But the icy Greenland site is not without its dangers – it continues to store nuclear waste.

Assuming the site would remain frozen in perpetuity, the US army removed the nuclear reactor installed on site but allowed waste – equivalent to the mass of 30 Airbus A320 airplanes – to be entombed under the snow, the magazine said.

But other sites around the world – without nuclear waste – could also serve as a safe haven in case of World War 3.

Wood Norton is a tunnel network running deep into the Worcestershire forest, originally bought by the BBC during World War 2 in case of a crisis in London.

Peters Mountain in Virginia, US, serves as one of several secret centers also known as AT&T project offices, which are essential for the US government’s continuity planning.

Further north in the states, Raven Rock Mountain Complex in Pennsylvania is a base that could hold up to 1,400 people.

And Cheyenne Mountain Complex in El Paso County, Colorado, is an underground complex boasting five chambers of reservoirs for fuel and water – and in one section there’s even reportedly an underground lake.