Nanotech Ihram Provided to Pilgrims in Hajj
The Nanotech Ihram given to the pilgrims are resistant to bacteria, according to Okaz newspaper.
Hamad Al-Yami is the one who came up with the idea of producing such cloths to protect the health of pilgrims.
He set out to find a maker for his product. Using social media, he met a Dubai-based German fashion designer, who produced his first pieces of cloth. “I had to explain that it was not just a normal towel, but what pilgrims wear,” recalled Al-Yami, and with that, he saw his idea come to life.
He believed that it could be done more cheaply and researched alternatives.
Al-Yami arrived in Faisalabad, a bustling metropolis in Pakistan’s richest province. There he found a manufacturer who was able to produce the Ihram to the quality he wanted, and at a viable cost.
Excited by this development, Al-Yami returned to the Kingdom and took his idea to Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, who found the idea interesting enough to send the Saudi to a research institute in the holy city. When the institute reported that the idea was useful, the governor directed the city’s chamber of commerce and the ministry of commerce to help the 35-year-old with his project.
With thousands of the Ihrams manufactured, the entrepreneur began selling this new type of Ihram during the Hajj of 2017.
Within a year of launching, he had sold 100,000 pieces, which he named Eliaa — the Hebrew name for Al-Aqsa mosque.
Al-Yami’s marketing background certainly helped secure a SR750,000 ($199,939) investment from an intrigued businessman on a domestic flight, followed by a multimillion-dollar stake from a foreign investor.
This year, the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah bought some of the Ihrams to give them to the limited number of pilgrims allowed to perform Hajj.
