MAKKAH: Prince Naif Bin Abdul Aziz, Second Deputy Premier and Minister of Interior, is scheduled next Tuesday to support the Haj Research Forum 2011 with 55 various research projects to develop the holy sites and improve services for pilgrims. The venue of the forum is Umm Al-Qura University in Makkah. The forum is scheduled to discuss 1,000 research papers. It will be accompanied by an exhibition on an area of 4,000 square meters at King Saud Historical Hall at the university campus. Several Haj and Umrah authorities will display the latest service technologies and methods. The exhibition is to highlight the efforts of the leadership to assist Haj and Umrah pilgrims and inform the public of all the projects being carried out. Dr. Abdul Aziz Sarooji, Dean of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques' Institute for Haj Research, told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that the forum is an annual scientific opportunity for specialists, officials and those working in the Haj and Umrah field to exchange views and present their research, studies and proposals to upgrade standards at the Grand Mosque in Makkah. Sarooji said the forum attracts researchers and specialists from Saudi universities and research institutes and those interested in Haj, Umrah and Ziyarah research and studies. Government and private sector participants are also expected. Sarooji said the five themes of the forum include environmental and health research from the perspective of climate, meteorology, air pollution, food and water quality and management, noise, solar rays, public health and diseases, and sacrificial animals. There is also a focus on administrative and humanitarian research related to the upgrading, management and operation of Haj and Umrah services and utilities. There will also be discussion on historical, geographic, social and psychological topics, including Shariah requirements for Haj and Umrah pilgrims. He said the forum will also discuss urban and engineering research related to developing an environment suitable for pilgrims and visitors, as well as plans and research in transport, safety, crowd management, housing, maintenance and design. The forum will also discuss research related to information technology in terms of collecting, processing and analyzing data; technologies and systems supporting decision-making, basic statistics on the two holy mosques in Makkah and Madina, and statistical research on Haj and Umrah pilgrims. Other issues to be discussed include how to improve awareness and guidance programs for pilgrims.
