U.S.-Designed Watch Alerts Muslims When to Pray--and Points to Mecca
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RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — A California company has designed a wristwatch that alerts Muslims when it’s time to pray and even shows them the direction of the holy city of Mecca from 120 cities around the world, a newspaper said Saturday.
An alarm sounds 10 minutes before each day’s five prayer periods, the English-language Saudi Gazette said.
The actual time is dictated by the position of the sun, according to the Koran, Islam’s holy book, which also decrees that the faithful should face Mecca while praying.
Traditionally, the five daily prayer calls are made by muezzins, or priests, who summon the faithful from minarets atop mosques.
Nowadays, prayer periods are published by newspapers and broadcast by radio and television stations in Muslim countries.
The watch has been developed by Sysorex International, a computer systems company based in Mountain View, Calif., the newspaper said.
It said that the watch comes in various models ranging in price from $85 to $115.
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