Jeddah: An engineer by profession, Mohammed Hamid Sayegh, a Saudi national has invented a breakthrough invention for Muslim pilgrims to beat the scorching heat of Saudi Arabia.
The heat temperatures in the holy city easily shoot up to 40°C during Haj season which dehydrates and causes heat exhaustion. Irrespective of the mercury temperatures in the holy city, the believers continue with the ‘Tawaf’ even if their body doesn’t allow them to.
The engineer was asked by a very close friend and colleagues to think about ideas to help Muslims Pilgrims to beat the scorching heat and thus the idea of an air-conditioned umbrella called the ‘Makkah Umbrella’ has now become a reality.
Speaking at the official launch of his invention in Jeddah, Sayegh said, “the demand for umbrellas has soared over the past years due to the high heat and most of the foreign pilgrims from Europe, Asia and other parts of the world prefer to use umbrellas during their Haj journey.”
He said he first thought of an in-built fan in umbrellas but then he thought to improvise it and made an air conditioned umbrella.
Describing his air-conditioned umbrella Sayegh said, “This air-conditioned umbrella works by using solar energy or by being charged by electricity or batteries. It is lightweight (610 gram only), easy to use, has a two-speed fan, and is easily connected to any water bottle installed in the canopy with a hand pump to push the water to the sprinklers” further explaining he says “the umbrella is able to work long hours by spraying water through the pumps. It is characterized by high capacities and is economic in water consumption making it an ideal choice for pilgrims, especially during this year and years which will witness unprecedented rise in temperature.”
The first manufactured ‘Makkah Umbrella’ has arrived from China, and speaking about it Raed Matar, Marketing and Sales Manager of “Makkah Umbrella” stated it will be helpful to not only the Pilgrims but all others as well living in tropical countries.
“Because of such high temperature which causes difficulties for the guests of Allah, it made us work hard to make this umbrella available in the market before the start of the Haj season. We have also ensured that the price is affordable for everyone,” said elated Manager.
Sayegh has now patented his invention with King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), sources reported.