Umm Al-Qura University opened the 26th Scientific Forum for Hajj, Umrah and Visit Research in Makkah on September 3, 2026, under the patronage of King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, with the state’s favorite language of “excellence” wrapped around a system built to manage millions of worshipers through layers of supervision, coordination and security.
The forum runs for two days at the university headquarters. Its theme, “Excellence and Integration in the Hajj and Umrah Services Ecosystem,” says plenty about the logic on display: worship becomes an ecosystem, pilgrims become inputs, and the holy sites become a site of administrative optimization. The university said the event supports strategic efforts to enhance the Hajj, Umrah and visitation ecosystem by giving researchers, experts, decision-makers and service providers a scientific platform. That’s the language of governance, not devotion.
The State's Monopoly in Holy Places
Participants are examining the latest research and studies, exploring innovative proposals, exchanging expertise and highlighting local and international practices in line with the objectives of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. The forum is also covering integration and coordination in improving services for worshipers, models of cooperation among relevant entities, measurement of operational efficiency at the holy sites, data governance and information sharing, and business continuity and emergency planning. The vocabulary is tidy. The machinery underneath is even tidier.
Assistant Minister of Health for Health Services Dr. Mohammed Al-Abd Al-Aali said, “The Kingdom’s health sector has undergone significant structural and governance reforms under the Kingdom's Vision 2030.” He said the Ministry of Health now focuses on regulatory and supervisory responsibilities, working alongside specialized entities including the Saudi Food and Drug Authority, the Public Health Authority and the Saudi Red Crescent Authority to guide and support healthcare providers across health clusters and the military, private and non-profit sectors. The state doesn’t just provide services here. It arranges the whole field, then calls the arrangement reform.
He said the integrated system operates within a governance framework linked to the Supreme Hajj Committee and the permanent committees in Makkah and Madinah. Preventive efforts begin well before worshipers arrive in the Kingdom, he added, with health requirements set in advance, global health developments monitored through the Public Health Authority, vaccinations verified and surveillance carried out at points of entry. The aim, he said, is to ensure the highest standards of healthcare throughout the Hajj season. The message is plain enough: movement is welcome, but only after inspection.
Year-Round Administration, Year-Round Control
Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah Dr. Abdulfattah Mashat said Vision 2030 has significantly elevated the quality and efficiency of services provided to worshipers, pushing the system from seasonal operations to a sustainable, year-round model. He said the approach focuses on expanding capacity and strengthening supply chains for food, accommodation and transportation, backed by regulations and operational frameworks applied throughout the year. The holy season, in other words, now lives inside a permanent administrative calendar.
He said the number of approved catering establishments in the Holy City has risen from around 70 four years ago to more than 300 today. He also pointed to the introduction of unified year-round digital platforms, including the electronic track and the “Nusuk” application, and said efforts are under way to promote a more professional approach to Hajj-season operations by preparing workers to handle peak demand while sustaining their activities throughout the rest of the year. More platforms. More approvals. More management. The worshiper gets a smoother interface; the apparatus gets deeper reach.
Security as Continuous Management
Commander of the Special Forces for Hajj and Umrah Security Major General Dr. Fawaz Al-Mutaihi said crowd management at the Two Holy Mosques is a continuous, around-the-clock operation that has evolved into a highly coordinated system. He said the approach integrates crowd organization and movement, transportation and scheduling controls, the management of congestion points and the provision of supporting services. The phrase “around-the-clock” does a lot of work there. So does “highly coordinated.”
What the forum presents as excellence is a portrait of centralized control spread across health, transport, food, digital platforms and security. The university, the ministry, the special forces and the committees all appear in the same frame, each one reinforcing the others. The result is not a loose collection of services but a tightly governed apparatus that leaves little room for anything outside its own logic.
The forum’s own terms make that clear. Integration. Coordination. Governance. Operational efficiency. Business continuity. Emergency planning. The holy sites are being discussed as a system to be optimized, monitored and secured. The people moving through it are expected to fit the design.