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ISLAMABAD: The sun aligned directly above the Holy Kaaba in Makkah on Tuesday in a rare astronomical phenomenon witnessed as more than 1.5 million Muslims gathered in Saudi Arabia for Hajj 2026. The alignment occurred at 12:18 p.m. local time when the sun reached its closest point to complete perpendicularity above the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The phenomenon came as pilgrims from around the world continued performing Hajj rituals in the holy cities of Makkah, Mina and Mount Arafat during one of the largest annual religious gatherings globally. Jeddah Astronomy Society Director Engineer Majed Abu Zahra said the sun reached an elevation of 89.94 degrees above the Kaaba, just 0.06 degrees short of perfect alignment. The event allows Muslims worldwide to verify the direction of the Qibla by observing the sun&rsquo;s position and the shadows cast by vertical objects, which nearly disappear at the moment of alignment. Abu Zahra said the phenomenon occurs twice each year due to the sun&rsquo;s apparent movement between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn and carries scientific, educational and religious significance. He added that the alignment has historically been used to help correct mosque orientations and improve astronomical calculations linked to Islamic practices.

Middle East

As Muslims from around the world gather for Hajj 2026, the sun aligns directly above the Holy Kaaba in Makkah during a rare astronomical phenomenon used to determine the Qibla direction.

Sun aligns above Holy Kaaba in rare astronomical phenomenon

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has deployed artificial intelligence (AI) robots inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet&#39;s Mosque in Madinah, the two holiest sites in Islam, to guide pilgrims, answer religious questions, and autonomously clean spaces that receive millions of visitors each year, according to the Digital Government Authority&#39;s 2026 report on emerging technology adoption by government agencies. The robots operate across courtyards, corridors, and prayer halls where crowd densities routinely exceed what human staff alone can manage. The deployments span three distinct functions: multilingual religious guidance, precision maintenance of sacred structures, and large-scale sterilization, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. The guidance unit, called the Manarah Robot, was launched by Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, the head of religious affairs at both mosques. According to the Saudi Press Agency, it draws on a vetted database of Islamic jurisprudence to field pilgrim inquiries in eleven languages, including Urdu, Hausa, Bengali, and Malay. For questions outside its database, the robot connects the user via live video call to a human scholar rather than generating an answer independently, per the same report. Five robot vacuums are assigned exclusively to the roof of the Holy Kaaba. Each unit generates 2,000 Pascal of suction and completes the full cleaning cycle within 20 minutes, according to technical specifications released by the Saudi Press Agency. Mohammed bin Musleh Al-Jabiri, the Presidency&#39;s undersecretary for field affairs, said the robots are deployed specifically to protect the marble surface from abrasion. A separate fleet of Biocare robots sterilizes floors and open spaces across both sites using dry steam, operating for up to eight hours without human intervention and covering roughly 1,000 square meters per hour, as reported by the Saudi Press Agency. Dry steam was selected over chemical disinfectants because pilgrims walk &ldquo;barefoot on marble surfaces&rdquo; and &ldquo;gather in close proximity.&rdquo; A geofencing-based asset tracking system monitors equipment locations in real time across both mosques, issuing automatic alerts when items exit designated zones. The Digital Government Authority&#39;s 2026 emerging technology report cited the system among the most effective smart-government implementations in the country. The deployments fall under Saudi Arabia&#39;s Vision 2030 program, which has directed government agencies to integrate AI across public services. The two mosques together receive millions of pilgrims annually from over 180 countries, as per the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet&#39;s Mosque.

Saudi Arabia deploys AI robots at the Grand Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah to guide pilgrims, answer questions and clean the holy sites. (Saudi Press Agency)

Artificial Intelligence

Robots operate across courtyards, corridors and prayer halls, guiding pilgrims, answering questions in multiple languages, cleaning spaces, and linking users to human scholars when needed.

Articles tagged with "Holy Kaaba"

Sun aligns above Holy Kaaba in rare astronomical phenomenon

Saudi Arabia deploys AI robots to work at Islam's two holiest mosques

Sun aligns above Holy Kaaba in rare astronomical phenomenon