Jamarat Facility: An Architectural Success Story Providing The Highest Standards Of Safety And Flow

MINA, May 27 (Bernama-SPA) -- The modern Jamarat facility is considered one of the most prominent development projects implemented by Saudi Arabia in the holy sites, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

It represents a qualitative leap in crowd management, in line with the highest global engineering and organisational standards. It has a capacity of more than 300,000 pilgrims per hour, enabling flexible, safe crowd flow during the peak of the stoning ritual during the Days of Tashreeq.

The Jamarat area in Mina, within the holy sites, witnesses every year on this day the arrival of large groups of pilgrims to perform this ritual, in a deeply spiritual scene that embodies obedience and following the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad within one of the greatest and most precisely organised rites of Haj.

In the past, the Jamarat consisted of small stone pillars surrounded by narrow spaces and limited pathways, which caused severe overcrowding and difficulties in performing the rituals, especially as the number of pilgrims increased.

Today, the facility has been transformed into an integrated engineering landmark comprising five floors, measuring 950 metres in length and 80 metres in width. It includes 386 escalators and 11 escalator buildings, as well as multi-directional bridges, entry and exit walkways, emergency exits, and smart cooling and monitoring systems.

The facility integrates a precise operational system that includes specialised field teams working around the clock to ensure safety and provide medical and guidance services in cooperation with various security and service entities.

The complex is equipped with multilingual guidance screens and modern surveillance cameras that improve flow and ensure the safety of pilgrims.

Kidana Development Company, the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has carried out comprehensive maintenance and preparatory works for the Jamarat facility, enhancing the efficiency of its infrastructure and its readiness to serve pilgrims.

The company operates an integrated operational and technological system that includes 340 escalators and 682 digital surveillance cameras to ensure smooth movement and monitor crowd density, as well as allocating 228 golf carts to facilitate the transportation of pilgrims and workers within the facility and its vital areas.

In terms of safety, the company has equipped advanced, high-readiness firefighting systems, including 295 fire boxes, 1,078 fire extinguishers, and more than 3,350 automatic sprinkler units, enhancing rapid response and raising safety levels within the facility.

The technical preparations also included the operation and maintenance of 456 air-conditioning units to ensure suitable conditions for pilgrims, as well as the operation of more than 74,000 lighting units to guarantee high illumination levels across all floors, corridors, and surrounding plazas.

Engineering maintenance works extended to bridges, ramps, tunnels, basements, and surrounding plazas, in addition to escalator buildings and their full repainting, to maintain the facility's operational and visual readiness.

The plan also included the maintenance of more than 1,216 informational and directional signs to ensure clarity of pedestrian routes, the repair of more than 520 canopies and metal structures, as well as the maintenance of four main tents on the fourth bridge, and the cleaning and preparation of rainwater drainage channels and culverts in plazas and parking areas.

The company also provided more than 28,000 plastic barriers to regulate crowd movement and precisely guide routes as part of its efforts to deliver a safe and smooth crowd-management experience for pilgrims during their performance of the rituals.

The Jamarat facility continues to play its role as one of the most prominent development projects in the holy sites, reflecting advanced engineering and operational integration that contribute to the efficient management of the movement of millions of pilgrims. It also reflects the great care Saudi Arabia takes to serve pilgrims and to develop the infrastructure of the holy sites to the highest global standards.

-- BERNAMA-SPA