Historically, Mina also witnessed important events in early Islamic history, including the First and Second Pledges of Aqaba during the 12th and 13th years after Hijra, when groups of Ansar pledged allegiance to Prophet Muhammad.
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Expanded infrastructure and climate measures
Spokesperson for Saudi Arabia’s Hajj and Umrah Ministry Ghassan Al-Nuwaimi said on Sunday evening that more than 25 development projects had been implemented at the holy sites, representing a 100 percent increase compared with last year.
“The projects included increasing Mina’s capacity, preparing more than 54,000 tents, and expanding the Green Holy Sites initiative by planting over 60,000 trees,” he said.
The Green Holy Sites initiative, launched in 2025, seeks to increase green areas and vegetation across the holy sites to improve air quality and enhance pilgrims’ experiences.
According to the Saudi Press Agency, planting more than 60,000 trees will triple green spaces in the holy sites.
The agency also reported that several previously underused and limited-use areas within the holy sites were converted into operational environments, increasing total developed-site capacity to approximately 209,000 pilgrims across three consecutive Hajj seasons with annual increases of around 70,000 pilgrims.
It said about 87,000 pilgrims are benefiting from capacity expansion projects during this year’s Hajj season.
The Saudi Hajj and Umrah Ministry announced on Sunday that preparations for the Day of Tarwiyah had been fully completed, with operational and field systems prepared for transporting pilgrims to Mina.
Authorities said the integrated system includes managing pilgrim movement into camps, monitoring service quality, and coordinating operations with relevant agencies.
The ministry said its work includes monitoring pilgrim transportation from accommodation sites to Mina, facilitating smooth camp entry, providing guidance and awareness services, and assisting pilgrims in reaching designated locations in line with approved operational plans.
Separately, the Saudi National Centre of Meteorology announced readiness for the Day of Tarwiyah, including weather awareness services in five languages for pilgrims and field teams.
The centre forecast temperatures in Mina reaching highs of 113 degrees Fahrenheit and lows of 82 degrees Fahrenheit during the Day of Tarwiyah, with northwesterly to northerly winds reaching 35 kilometres per hour (21.7 mph), humidity levels reaching 50 percent, and partly cloudy conditions with occasional dust storms.
