The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites has invested approximately 6 billion Saudi Riyals (roughly $1.6 billion) over four years to transform the infrastructure at Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah for Hajj 2026. The improvements include 7,800 bathrooms that cut wait times by 75%, a 200% increase in emergency hospital capacity, 60,000 newly planted trees, and 400 high-efficiency misting fans at the Jamarat. Translated from Arabic sources.

Sanitation: The Change Pilgrims Will Notice Most

For anyone who has performed Hajj before, the bathroom situation in Mina has always been one of the greatest daily challenges. The commission has addressed this directly by building two-storey bathroom complexes across the tent city, increasing capacity to 7,800 units.

According to Ghran News, this reduces average waiting time by approximately 75% compared to previous seasons. For a pilgrim waking at 3am to prepare for Fajr alongside 2 million others, this is not a minor improvement - it is transformative.

Cooling and Greenery

The investment includes planting 60,000 trees across the sacred sites for natural cooling and environmental conservation. While trees take years to reach full shade capacity, this represents the beginning of a long-term strategy to reduce ground-level temperatures naturally.

More immediately impactful: the number of misting fans at the Jamarat stoning area has been doubled to 400 high-efficiency units, and shading over pedestrian pathways has been extended to 105,000 square metres of total coverage. Combined with the 272,000 square metres of canopy shading at Arafat (completed in a separate project), the cooled and shaded area available to pilgrims is now unprecedented.

Medical Capacity

Emergency hospital capacity in Mina has been increased by 200% - tripling the ability to treat critically ill or injured pilgrims during the peak days. This builds on the existing infrastructure of four primary hospitals in Mina and Arafat General Hospital with its 800+ beds and dedicated heat treatment units.

The expansion is a direct response to the 2024 crisis. With over 1,300 deaths that year - overwhelmingly from heat-related causes - the Kingdom has invested heavily in ensuring medical capacity can handle surge demand during the most intense ritual days.

Transport Overhaul

A central control room using automation and real-time monitoring now manages approximately 24,000 buses, including 2,500 dedicated arrival vehicles and 400 modern buses covering 14 routes between the sacred sites. Four coordinated circular roads have been developed to improve traffic flow and reduce journey times between Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah.

This represents a significant step toward the kind of real-time traffic management that is essential when moving 2 million people between sites on a fixed schedule.

Pedestrian Infrastructure

Rest areas and pedestrian pathways have been expanded by 66,000 square metres, providing more space for pilgrims to sit, hydrate, and recover during the long walks between sites. The walks between Mina and the Jamarat, and from Arafat to Muzdalifah, are where many pilgrims struggle most - and where having a shaded rest point every few hundred metres makes a material difference.

What This Means for Pilgrims

For first-time pilgrims performing Hajj 2026, the experience at the sacred sites will be significantly better than what previous generations endured. More bathrooms, more shade, more medical support, and more organised transport do not eliminate the physical challenge of Hajj - but they remove unnecessary suffering that has nothing to do with the spiritual purpose of the pilgrimage.

The 6 billion SAR investment is part of Saudi Vision 2030's goal to accommodate 30 million pilgrims annually by the end of the decade. Each Hajj season serves as a proving ground for infrastructure that must eventually handle more than 10 times the current volume.