Key Takeaways
- 350 colour-coded directional boards have been installed on columns throughout Masjid al-Haram to improve navigation for visitors.
- Boards feature colour codes, identification numbers, main gate names, and regional zone names — North, South, East, and West.
- The project covers three architectural zones of the mosque: the Arcade Building, the Third Expansion, and the Second Expansion, each with a distribution pattern suited to its design.
The General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques has launched the Column Coding Board project inside Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, installing 350 precisely placed directional boards on the mosque’s columns to help worshippers and pilgrims locate themselves and reach their destinations quickly.
How the System Works
Each board features clear colour codes, identification numbers, main gate names, and links to the mosque’s major zone names — West, North, South, and East — allowing visitors to determine their exact location at a glance.
Alphabetical sub-letters have also been included on the boards, arranged in sequence with the flow of movement inside the mosque to create a consistent and easy-to-read navigation experience from all angles.
The boards are distributed along an axis extending from the Kaaba outward to the main gates, aligned with the natural movement pathways inside the mosque to provide connected guidance from one point to the next.
Three Distribution Patterns for Three Zones
The placement of boards was carefully designed to match the architectural characteristics of each section of the mosque:
- The Arcade Building — uses a circular distribution pattern aligned with the building’s design and the movement of those performing Tawaf.
- The Third Expansion — uses a radial pattern suited to the expansion’s architecture, ensuring boards are readable from multiple distances and angles.
- The Second Expansion — uses a horizontal parallel distribution aligned with the building’s layout and main walkways for maximum clarity.
The project was launched on March 15, 2026 — helping hundreds of thousands of daily visitors navigate the mosque with less confusion and greater ease.
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