The modern Jamarat facility in Mina, where pilgrims perform the symbolic stoning ritual during the Days of Tashreeq, now ranks among Saudi Arabia's most significant engineering projects in the holy sites. With a capacity exceeding 300,000 pilgrims per hour, the complex has become a global benchmark for crowd management, according to the Saudi Press Agency.
The transformation is dramatic. The Jamarat once consisted of small stone pillars surrounded by narrow spaces and limited pathways, an arrangement that produced severe congestion as pilgrim numbers grew. Today it is a fully integrated complex spanning five floors, 950 meters in length and 80 meters in width.
Engineering for Safety
The facility is built around the safe separation and steady movement of vast crowds. It includes multi-directional bridges, dedicated entry and exit routes, and clearly marked emergency exits, allowing pilgrims to approach and leave the pillars without the dangerous cross-flows of earlier eras.
Movement between levels is handled by a large network of escalators. Reports cite 386 escalators across 11 escalator buildings, supported by an integrated technological system that includes hundreds of escalators in active operation alongside digital monitoring tools. To move pilgrims and workers within the facility and its surroundings, operators have deployed 228 golf carts.
The Kidana Development Co., the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, carried out extensive maintenance and preparatory work to ready the facility for the season. Its integrated system features 682 digital surveillance cameras that monitor crowd density and help teams keep movement smooth.
Cooling, Lighting and Emergency Readiness
Comfort and safety systems are central to the design. Technical teams operate and maintain 456 air-conditioning units to keep conditions suitable for pilgrims, along with more than 74,000 lighting units across the floors, corridors and surrounding plazas.
Fire safety preparations are extensive. The complex is equipped with 295 fire boxes, 1,078 fire extinguishers, and more than 3,350 automatic sprinkler units to strengthen rapid emergency response. Multilingual guidance screens and modern surveillance cameras further improve crowd flow and help pilgrims find their way.
Specialized teams work around the clock, providing medical and guidance services in coordination with security and service agencies, so that any incident can be addressed quickly during the busiest hours of the ritual.
Guidance for Pilgrims
For pilgrims, the scale of the facility means there is rarely a need to rush. Crowds are heaviest immediately after the midday period on the Days of Tashreeq, and many scholars permit delaying the stoning until later in the day or evening, when the complex is calmer.
Pilgrims should follow the directional signs and the instructions of stewards, use the level assigned to their group, and keep to the marked entry and exit routes rather than turning back against the flow. Carrying water, wearing comfortable footwear for the long walk from the tents, and agreeing a meeting point with companions in case of separation all make the ritual safer and less stressful.