Finding Your Way to the Kaaba
A few weeks ago, I traveled to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to go on the Islamic pilgrimage known as ‘Umrah’. Ever since I was a little girl my family has made it a habit to visit Mecca at least once a year. But this was my first time visiting during the holy month of Ramadan.
Mecca, or specifically Masjid Al-Haram (mosque), is where the Kaaba is located. The Kaaba is a sacred place of worship for Muslims and is the most significant mosque in Islam. The Kaaba is a cube-shaped structure that is covered in a piece of black fabric with embroidered Arabic calligraphy in the color gold. Apart from being the holiest site for Muslims, it has a long and respectable history dating back to the Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him).
The mosque is consistently crowded throughout the whole year but the population triples in size during two specific times of the year, Ramadan and Hajj pilgrimage. Hajj pilgrimage can only be performed during the last month of the Islamic year whereas the Umrah pilgrimage can be performed at any time. The ritual of the Umrah pilgrimage takes place inside the mosque starting at the Kaaba. Pilgrims begin walking seven rounds around the Kaaba and then continue to another area in the mosque known as Saee where they walk back and forth seven times in a long path.
While performing the ritual of Umrah, I found myself mindful of the details that involve wayfinding design. If you asked me how I evaluated the wayfinding system there, I would say it’s almost non-functional. The wayfinding system is currently in place, but to me, it seems rather ineffective in terms of guiding the user around. The wayfinding I am referring to is outside and inside the mosque. Mecca, specifically Masjid Al haram, is always under construction. The city is constantly planning new improvements and extensions to the mosque so that it can welcome larger amounts of Muslims. However, in these phases of construction, a stable, consistent, effective, and modern wayfinding system is needed.
The wayfinding experience in Mecca if you are a pilgrim begins from your hotel door up to where you want to go in Masjid Al haram. Most pilgrims walk to the mosque which takes about 5 – 10 minutes, but due to the lack and inefficiency of wayfinding there, it takes longer. The large mosque has numerous entrances, but each lead to a specific area, such as the Kaaba, Saee, gender-designated praying areas, and new extensions. However, instead of providing large signage that indicates the area like “Kaaba Entrance”, the doors are named after certain individuals of the royal family. The entrance names are written in both Arabic and English in black and are designed quite small. You are immediately filled with anxiety and anxiousness once you realize you have walked all that way just to reach the wrong door and now you have to go walk through the crowd again to find the right entrance. In that process of searching, you are unable to screen the area due to the large crowds and police officers telling you, you are not allowed to stop in order to avoid traffic. Ultimately your only sources of navigation are social navigation and police officers.
Moreover, inside Masjid Al haram there is signage that instructs you to the Kaaba and from the Kaaba to Saee and Exits. But as you're following the directional signage, you are interrupted by barricades that restrict you from entering or continuing your way. Barricades are everywhere in Mecca and inside Masjid Al haram, so you’re likely to encounter them blocking your path, confusing you as to how to reach your destination, or just creating unnecessary chaos. This causes the user to perceive these directional signs as unreliable and further spreads a narrative that the system inside the mosque changes every few weeks. I also noticed the directional signage designs and aesthetics are inconsistent, most signs in the same area differ in color, typeface, and size. As a result, this increases the level of unreliability and confusion in the wayfinding system for the user and leads them to distrust the signage as they would be unable to tell which correct type of signage to follow.
Photos I took of the signage during my visit to Masjid Al Haram:
As shown in these images, the wayfinding system in Masjid Al haram is far from perfect but I believe that a few changes and improvements can further enhance the user experience.
My first thought is to commit to one design and aesthetic for all signage that is consistent across the mosque and space outside the mosque. This will avoid any uncertainty among users and will allow them to know what directions to follow.
In addition to the design, I think incorporating modern wayfinding features such as pictograms will greatly benefit those who speak neither Arabic nor English. For instance, pictograms of gender-specific praying areas, Kaaba, and Saee areas. As suggested earlier, new names for the entrances are needed that correspond to the area it leads to and should be placed largely above each entrance so that it is recognizable from a distance.
My understanding and awareness of the importance of wayfinding have increased after taking this course, especially in places where large numbers of people gather at the same time for rituals such as pilgrimage. In a nutshell, applying strategic wayfinding in Mecca is complex due to the complicated nature of Masjid Al haram. However, it can still be improved to cater to the needs of pilgrims.
