Mina’ The ‘Tent City'

Published On Jun 08, 2021

Mina (also known as the Tent City) is a neighborhood of Mecca in Makkah Province, in western Saudi Arabia. It is situated 5 kilometers to the east of the Holy city of Mecca, and stands on the road from Mecca’s city center to the Hill of Arafat. It covers an area of approximately 20 km².

Mina is best known for the role it plays during the annual Hajj pilgrimage. More than 100,000 air-conditioned tents provide temporary accommodation to visiting pilgrims. The Teflon-coated tents are constructed to withstand temperatures of up to 700 degrees Celsius. In the valley of Mina is the Jamarat Bridge, the location of the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil, performed between sunrise and sunset on the last day of the Hajj. Mina is the place where pilgrims throw stones, commemorating the occasion that the Prophet Ibrâhîm (Abraham) stoned the Devil that came between him and the command Allah had set him. Many pilgrims at Ḥajj walk around the Ka`bah seven times, then visit the Well of Zamzam. Usually, they spend their first night in the Valley of Mina. This ritual occurs from the eighth to the twelfth day of the Ḥajj. At Mina, men and women are not allowed to sleep together.