The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Monday has launched an initiative to enable Muslims to touch the Black Stone at the Kaaba in Makkah online via Virtual Reality (VR) technology, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Virtual Black Stone initiative was launched by Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al Sudais, Head of the Presidency for the Affairs of Two Holy Mosque.
Speaking on the occasion, Al Sudais said in a statement that, “We have great religious and historical sites that we must digitise and communicate to everyone through the means of the latest technology.”
He stressed the importance of creating a virtual simulation environment, to simulate the largest possible number of senses, such as vision, hearing, touch, even smell.
The Virtual Black stone initiative allows Muslims to experience the Hajr-e-Aswad virtually prior to the pilgrimage to Makkah.
It was not clear how and when the public will have access to virtual reality technology.