Umrah Pilgrims Can Now Check Live Crowd Levels at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque Before They Set Out

Makkah: Anyone who has performed Umrah knows the guesswork — you walk to the Grand Mosque hoping the mataf will not be packed, and find out only when you get there. Saudi Arabia’s new digital services are meant to end that. Pilgrims can now check crowd levels at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah on their phones, in real time, and pick a quieter hour for their worship.

Tawaf and sa’i congestion, shown before you leave

The service carries live indicators for the tawaf area around the Kaaba and for the sa’i walkway between Safa and Marwah, updated as conditions change. For elderly pilgrims and families with children, that difference matters: a ritual done in a calm hour instead of a crush is safer, shorter and far less exhausting. The same live picture is available for the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah.

A map of 950 landmarks and more than 100,000 routes

Alongside the crowd feed sits an interactive map of both mosques covering around 950 landmarks and points of interest — the Kaaba, Maqam Ibrahim, Safa and Marwah in Makkah; the Rawdah, the Prophet’s Chamber, the prayer niches and the pulpit in Madinah. The platform holds more than 100,000 possible routes sorted into over 17 categories, and more than 650 QR codes placed around the mosques open information about a spot the moment they are scanned. Six on-site display screens are linked to the same system, and accessible locations and step-free routes for pilgrims with disabilities are marked separately. Saudi officials say the aim is straightforward: smoother movement inside the two mosques, less time lost, and a calmer visit for the millions who come each year.