These Arab Countries Just Aced The First Saudi Hajj Hackathon
By Nada Hamouda
Almost 3,000 developers from around the world gathered in Jeddah to attend the first ever Hajj Hackathon that aims to find high tech solutions to improve the experience of pilgrims. However, on Friday, the three-day event was concluded announcing a team of four Saudi women taking the first prize of $265,000.
Moreover, the Egyptian team won the second prize for developing “Hajj Wallet”, a device by which users can deposit money into a mobile wallet. In the third place came the Algerian team for their “Roaa” which is a social network that allows users to take pictures during Hajj, then share them in a private network accessible by family and friends.
The Saudi event broke the Guinness World Record becoming the largest hackathon in the world. As it has brought 2,950 participants together from all around the world in one giant room.
رسميًا؛ #السعودية تحتضن أكبر هاكاثون حول العالم.#هاكاثون_الحج#هاكاثون_الحج_في_موسوعة_جينيس pic.twitter.com/P2CO6Ld195
— الاتحاد السعودي للأمن السيبراني والبرمجة والدرونز (@SAFCSP) August 2, 2018
The launching ceremony was attended by many tech heavyweights including Apple’s Co-founder, Steve Wozniak, and Wikipedia’s Founder, Jimmy Wales.
