Bandung Developer Creates Virtual Umrah Simulator App
A tech enthusiast from Bandung, Indonesia, has created a virtual Umrah simulator app born from deep longing for the Holy Land and a desire to ease learning.
Portal Islam 
This article was first published in Indonesian. Baca versi Bahasa Indonesia →
Stepping foot into the Holy Land of Makkah and Madinah remains a lifelong aspiration for every Muslim. Deep feelings of longing, combined with the challenge of accessing clear guidance on pilgrimage rites, inspired a tech enthusiast from Bandung, Indonesia, to create an innovative virtual Umrah simulator that is now capturing public attention.
According to a report by detikHikmah on Friday, November 6, 2026, this interactive game innovation was created by a software engineer named Erwin Herwanto. Meanwhile, a report by Republika on the same date noted that the digital platform is called Syumra, developed by Erwin Hermanto—an alumnus of STMIK Bandung's 2012 cohort—which was originally designed to facilitate independent worship.
The Inspiration Behind the Umrah Simulator
According to the detikHikmah report, the idea for the Umrah simulator game stemmed from the creator's concern over the public's limited access to information regarding Umrah procedures, which is often restricted to travel agency circles. Aside from educational factors, there was also a strong emotional drive.
"From personal experience, knowledge about Umrah is quite limited. Especially regarding the Umrah procedures themselves, which are poorly publicized. So that was one of the inspirations," Erwin said in an interview with the detikHikmah team on Friday (Nov 6, 2026).
"There was a longing for the Holy Land and the difficulty of performing Umrah repeatedly, so I channeled that into creating a game," he revealed further.
On the other hand, the Republika report stated that the Syumra platform was initially built as a tool to track the number of circuits during Tawaf and Sa'i, as the developer chose to perform Umrah independently without a tour guide (muthowif) during his first journey.
Development Process and App Features
The realization of this technological work proved to be remarkably fast. As reported by detikHikmah, Erwin only needed about one to three weeks—ranging from prototyping, trial runs, to publication—after initially testing it with his child.
Over time, the developed platform has evolved into an application featuring a variety of educational tools for Umrah and Hajj, including a three-dimensional (3D) simulator that can be accessed for free, as reviewed by Republika. Firsthand experiences in the Holy Land were utilized to enrich the material, which was previously gathered from various ritual (manasik) videos on the internet.
Positive Response and Hopes for Young Creators
The creation, which was initially expected to be enjoyed only by close friends and the local tech community, received a warm reception and went viral on social media. Many netizens offered positive feedback and requested new features to make the simulation experience even more comprehensive.
Seeing this enthusiasm, the creator advised the younger generation and local creators to continuously harness technological advancements in the era of artificial intelligence to produce works that benefit the wider community, while remaining mindful of applicable rules.
The Wisdom of Using Technology for Good
Islam consistently encourages its adherents to continuously seek knowledge and bring benefit to fellow human beings. Various positive innovations, including the use of digital technology to facilitate learning pilgrimage rites such as Umrah manasik, represent a commendable effort (ikhtiar) in spreading goodness and soothing the yearning for the Baytullah.
May every creative endeavor by the nation's youth be counted as an act of worship and bring ease to Muslims wishing to become better acquainted with the rituals of the Holy Land.
