According to AlArabiya News, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) has announced a virtual reality (VR) technology effort that will allow Muslims from all over the world to virtually touch the Hajr-e-Aswad (Sacred Black Stone) of the Holy Ka’aba in Makkah.
According to the Saudi media, the General President for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque, Sheikh Dr Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, launched the programme, which intends to employ virtual reality and digital experiences to replicate reality.
The “Virtual Black Stone Initiative” would be overseen by the General Administration of Digital Exhibitions, which is part of the Kingdom’s Agency for Exhibitions and Museum Affairs.
It would be done in collaboration with the University of Umm al-Custodian Qura’s of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research.
