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09-09-2016, 06:14 PM
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Hajj in real time: the spiritual goes virtual
MECCA, Saudi Arabia: Hajj has gone high-tech. A religious ritual performed 1,400 years ago by Prophet Mohammed and which drew believers arriving on foot and on camels for centuries is today broadcast live through cyberspace.
"Tech**logy is **w part of hajj," the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in present-day Saudi Arabia, said Kamel Badawi, an engineer from Mecca who invented an "intelligent umbrella" with Palestinian colleague Manal Dandis. Among its features, the umbrella uses solar energy to cool the user. Pilgrims are also walking around with arms outstretched to broadcast their Hajj live to family and friends by mobile phone. Others have their eyes fixed on prayers they have downloaded. It´s a change that seems irreversible and dramatic. Until recently, cameras were **t even allowed into the Grand Mosque, Islam´s holiest site which draws close to two million faithful for the hajj, which this year starts formally on Saturday. The annual rite is one of the five pillars of Islam, which capable Muslims must perform at least once, marking the spiritual peak of their lives. If they need clothing advice, or even diabetic information, that and all sorts of other support is available on Internet sites and applications. The spiritual is also the virtual, affecting all aspects of hajj. Air tickets can be bought online. Souvenir photos are uploaded, and imams, or prayer leaders, dispense guidance via the Internet. For researcher Shahed Amanullah, "the Hajj is often likened to a personal conversation with God." Tech**logy has allowed pilgrims "to share this conversation with family and friends in realtime", he said. Modern conveniences, however, could be seen to have their drawbacks. Today, the interior of the Grand Mosque is air conditioned. Giant fans with water sprays cool the exterior. Pilgrimage routes through steep mountains are **w eased with escalators. There is even a train to move hajjis from site to site. Tech**logy, for its part, can also have clear benefits, such as the umbrella developed by Badawi and Dandis. To the simple parasol they added buttons, USB ports and solar cells. The result is what they call the first umbrella to turn the sun into fresh air. Solar energy powers a fan to refresh the pilgrims, while the umbrella handle can also serve to charge a telephone and provide GPS data. أكثر... ??????? ??????: Hajj in real time: the spiritual goes virtual || ??????: ahlam1399 || ??????: اسم منتداك
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العرض الشجري