Two Holy Mosques Provide Interpreter Services

During the Hajj season, the city of Makkah becomes a place where Arabic is spoken alongside a multitude of languages from across the globe. Urdu, Indonesian, Turkish, Persian, Bengali, English, French, Swahili, and others are heard during the rites of Hajj. This reflects the unity of the Muslim Ummah. Although diverse cultures mingle at the holy sites, the language of ritual worship unites pilgrims as they pray together and perform tawaf. Authorities are meanwhile working to overcome language barriers by providing multilingual services. The General Authority for the Management of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques provides simultaneous translation of the khutbah at Masjid al-Haram into ten languages via the Manarat Al-Haramain platform and FM radio. The Authority also provides location and cultural guides in more than 50 languages via wireless headphones and digital guide cards. Translation efforts also cover books, brochures, signage, and electronic screens inside Masjid al-Haram, in addition to the Qur’an mushaf and its meanings translations in various languages. On the holy sites, multilingual field teams and volunteers help facilitate communication with pilgrims. They provide health, organisational, and religious guidance to enhance crowd safety and ensure the smooth conduct of worship. All of this helps deliver an integrated experience that increases visitors’ understanding of the message of Islam and the services of the Masjid al-Haram. It also reflects Makkah’s position as a global meeting point for Muslims from around the world, where a small image of the Islamic world with its diversity of people and cultures is formed.