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RIYADH: The Hedayathon event \u2014 a hackathon organized by the Presidency of Religious Affairs in partnership with the University of Jeddah \u2014 recently concluded. Participants were asked to come up with ways to enhance services for visitors to the Grand Mosque and the Prophet\u2019s Mosque.<\/p>\n
The Hedayathon aimed to foster innovation and harness scientific and technological capabilities to develop solutions that enhance religious services and enrich visitors\u2019 experiences, according to a report by the Saudi Press Agency.<\/p>\n
The event brought together innovators, developers, students, academics, startups, entrepreneurs, and people interested in outreach (da\u2019wah) and religious guidance.<\/p>\n
There were three winning projects. First place went to the Madaar team for their Maqam Platform project, which won SR30,000 ($8,000). Second place \u2014 and SR20,000 \u2014 went to the Tala team for Every Signal is a Recited Verse, an idea aimed at serving people with special needs. Echo Tech\u2019s Sanctuary Translator \u2014\u00a0a project designed to develop legal translation \u2014 took third place, winning SR10,000.<\/p>\n
Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet\u2019s Mosque, stressed the importance of leveraging technology and innovation to develop religious services and make them accessible to visitors.<\/p>\n
In remarks shared on the presidency\u2019s X account, Al-Sudais said: \u201cServing pilgrims of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet\u2019s Mosque is a tremendous responsibility. It requires intensified efforts and mobilized capabilities to facilitate their access to religious services, enabling them to perform their worship with ease and tranquility.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obaid Al-Mudhaff, the university\u2019s president, said the partnership with the presidency represents a model of integration between field expertise, scientific research, and innovation, helping develop quality solutions to serve the Two Holy Mosques and their visitors.<\/p>\n
Salem Areej, general supervisor of the Hedayathon event, said the initiative was launched not only as a tech competition, but also to use technology to better serve pilgrims.<\/p>\n
The hackathon\u2019s objectives included enriching visitors\u2019 religious experience, developing religious translation solutions, maximizing communications and media impact, developing religious guidance tools, building platforms for teaching the Holy Qur\u2019an and delivering scholarly lessons, answering worshippers\u2019 questions, and facilitating access to religious services for people with disabilities.<\/p>\n
Activities included panel discussions, an exhibition, workshops, and consultations.<\/p>\n
The presidency also signed a memorandum of understanding with the Saudi Translation Association to enhance cooperation and develop multilingual religious content.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n