A Pilgrim Scheduling Approach to Increase Safety During the Hajj

By Islam’s principle, each adult Muslim who is physically and financially capable is obligated to perform Hajj—Pilgrimage to Mecca—once in his lifetime. With millions of faithful pilgrims, the Hajj is one the largest annual pedestrian events in the world. It is also a stress test to the authority’s ability to protect pilgrimsu0027 safety throughout the multiday rituals. In “A Pilgrim Scheduling Approach to Increase Safety during the Hajj,” K. Haase, M. Kasper, M. Koch, and S. Muller describe the combined optimization and simulation approach used in the years 2007–2014 and 2016–2017 to plan safe pilgrim flows between the ritual sites and pilgrim camps.