As summer temperatures peak across the Hijaz, one of the world's largest cooling systems is working around the clock to keep worshippers comfortable inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque said the integrated system holds indoor temperatures between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius, even as crowds swell and outdoor heat climbs.
The reassurance matters for the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims arriving for the 1448 Umrah season. Heat has long been one of the most serious risks facing visitors to the two holy cities, and the Kingdom has invested heavily in engineering solutions to reduce it.
Inside the cooling network
According to the General Authority, the cooling system serving the Grand Mosque has a capacity of roughly 155,000 refrigeration tons. It covers prayer halls, service facilities and the open courtyards used by worshippers and Umrah pilgrims throughout the day and night.
The scale is difficult to picture. A single refrigeration ton represents the cooling effect of melting a ton of ice over 24 hours, so 155,000 tons reflects an industrial operation running continuously beneath and around the mosque. Chilled water is distributed through an extensive pipe network to air-handling units that push cooled air across the vast prayer areas.
The current ongoing expansion of the Grand Mosque will push cooling capacity even higher. Authorities have said the project raises capacity from around 39,000 refrigeration tons in the older sections to as much as 199,000 tons once complete. The same expansion increases the footprint from 414,000 square metres to about 1.564 million square metres, with the prayer area growing from roughly 390,000 to 912,000 square metres.
Shading and cooling at Arafat
The effort extends beyond Makkah to the holy sites where pilgrims gather during Hajj. The Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites completed the second phase of a shading and cooling project around Mount Arafat, expanding shaded and cooled areas to more than 272,000 square metres. That is roughly five times the footprint available two years earlier.
The second phase added 18 canopies fitted with 36 misting fans, along with seven cooling units and 107 misting fan columns. This built on an earlier phase that installed three canopies, six misting fans and more than 165 misting fan columns. The standing at Arafat is the central pillar of Hajj, and pilgrims spend the hottest part of the day there, so the shade carries real spiritual as well as physical weight.
Why it matters for pilgrims
Engineering can lower risk, but it does not remove it. Pilgrims still move between cooled indoor areas and exposed outdoor spaces, and the walk between ritual sites can be long. The infrastructure works best when combined with sensible personal precautions.
Pilgrims are advised to drink water regularly, even before feeling thirsty, and to carry a small bottle during Tawaf and Sa'i. An umbrella offers valuable shade in open courtyards, and loose, light-coloured clothing helps for women, while men in ihram should seek shade where permitted. Scheduling Umrah or extra prayers for the cooler night hours reduces exposure, and anyone feeling dizzy or unusually tired should rest in a cooled area and seek help promptly. These simple habits, paired with the Kingdom's cooling network, help pilgrims focus on worship rather than the heat.