Mina Tented City (Hajj) - Makkah

Mina, also known as the city of tents, is a valley famous for the important role it plays during Hajj Pilgrimage. It is located 8 kilometers to the east of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Inside the valley, as far as the eye can see, the open space is covered with tents.

Role in Hajj

Mina has the capacity to hold up to 3 million people and is also the largest tented city in the world. Pilgrims coming to perform Hajj have to camp at Mina for multiple nights. During the Hajj season, the city is crowded with pilgrims and remains deserted the rest of the year. The valley of Mina is also the place where Prophet Ibrahim was ordered to sacrifice his son Ismael in a dream by Allah. 

Layout

To accommodate the hajj pilgrims and to ensure that they have a proper place to camp, the Saudi government decided to install permanent tents made out of cotton at Mina in the 1990s. Before the cotton tents were installed, most pilgrims would bring their own portable tents as a means of shelter. In 1997, after a tragic incident known as the “The Mecca fire” happened, the Saudi government installed around 100,000 fire proof and air-conditioned tents for the pilgrims. The installation of these tents gave Mina its nickname “tThe City of Tents.” Heat sensitive water sprinklers with alarm systems have also been installed for the safety of the pilgrims. The tents are segregated into different camps that are equipped with kitchens, bathrooms, and ablution stations in order to facilitate the pilgrims.

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