Saudi Arabia has been undertaking many development projects in Mecca city for pilgrims coming for Hajj 2026. Kidana Development Company, which is a subsidiary of the Royal Commission for Mecca City and Holy Sites, recently completed one such major development in Mina. Here’s all you need to know about this development for pilgrims in the 2026 Hajj season.
74 Escalators Installed In Mina
Kidana Development Company has completed the installation of 74 escalators. As reported by the Saudi Press Agency, these are across key locations in Mina. Moreover, it is a part of the preparation for facilitating the movement of pilgrims during Hajj 2026. The project has been implemented in three phases. As revealed further, 32 escalators were installed in 2024, 32 were installed in 2025, and a further 10 were installed this year across eight new sites. With this initiative, the improvement in infrastructure and quality of service at the holy sites.
Gulf News further revealed that the authorities have mentioned that the escalators would help shorten the travel time. This would especially make it easier for people to travel between tent areas and essential service facilities. As a result, this would help in enhancing mobility, efficiency, and supporting safer, smoother crowd movement.
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Project Expands The Use Of Shaded & Cooled Areas Of Pilgrims
The development comes right in time when Saudi Arabia’s Royal Commission for Mecca City and Holy Sites also completed the second phase of the shading and cooling project. This has been completed around Mount Arafat before the season begins. The project has expanded the use of shaded and cooled areas for pilgrims. This is five times their size as compared to the previous year. It would cover more than 2,72,000 m² across both places. In the second phase, 18 canopies have been fitted with 36 misting fans. Moreover, there are seven cooling units and 107 missing fan columns.
These initiatives aligned with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030. Moreover, these also align with the pilgrimage experience programme, which advances sustainable development across the holy sites.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/Eluk rr from Getty Images (Cover Image is for representative purposes only)
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