RIYADH: During the Hajj season, Makkah transforms into a place where Arabic is heard alongside languages from around the world.
Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Persian, Bengali, English, French, Swahili and more are heard during the pilgrimage, reflecting the unity of Muslims.
While diverse cultures mix at the holy sites, the language of the rituals brings worshippers together as pilgrims share supplication and circumambulation, while the authorities work to overcome language barriers by offering multilingual services.
The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque provides simultaneous interpretation of Grand Mosque sermons into 10 languages via the Manarat Al-Haramain platform and FM radio. It also offers spatial and cultural guidance in more than 50 languages through wireless headphones and digital guidance cards.
Translation efforts include books, brochures, directional signs and electronic screens inside the Grand Mosque, alongside copies of the Holy Qur’an and multi-language translations of its meanings.
At the holy sites, multilingual field teams and volunteers facilitate communication with pilgrims, providing health, organizational and religious guidance to enhance crowd safety and ensure the smooth performance of rituals.
This all helps ensure an integrated experience that improves visitors’ understanding of the Islamic message and the services of the Grand Mosque. It exemplifies the position of Makkah as a global meeting point for Muslims from around the world, with a microcosm of the Islamic world in all its human and cultural diversity being formed.
