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Holy Sites Transform into Giant Smart Cities during Hajj Season

Each year during Hajj, the Holy Sites undergo a remarkable transformation, emerging within days as one of the world's largest seasonal smart cities capable of accommodating millions of pilgrims through vast networks of energy, water, transport, communications, and digital services. (SPA)
Each year during Hajj, the Holy Sites undergo a remarkable transformation, emerging within days as one of the world's largest seasonal smart cities capable of accommodating millions of pilgrims through vast networks of energy, water, transport, communications, and digital services. (SPA)
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Holy Sites Transform into Giant Smart Cities during Hajj Season

Each year during Hajj, the Holy Sites undergo a remarkable transformation, emerging within days as one of the world's largest seasonal smart cities capable of accommodating millions of pilgrims through vast networks of energy, water, transport, communications, and digital services. (SPA)
Each year during Hajj, the Holy Sites undergo a remarkable transformation, emerging within days as one of the world's largest seasonal smart cities capable of accommodating millions of pilgrims through vast networks of energy, water, transport, communications, and digital services. (SPA)

Each year during Hajj, the Holy Sites undergo a remarkable transformation, emerging within days as one of the world's largest seasonal smart cities capable of accommodating millions of pilgrims through vast networks of energy, water, transport, communications, and digital services, the Saudi Press Agency said on Monday.

Behind the scenes, an around-the-clock infrastructure system operated by government and service agencies manages crowds, ensures smooth mobility, and maintains high standards of safety and comfort for pilgrims, before the sites return to their usual calm following the end of Hajj rituals.

Kidana Development Company, the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, continues to implement infrastructure and operational projects to enhance services and ensure sustainable performance throughout the Hajj season.

Projects include cooling and shading the area surrounding Jabal Al-Rahmah (Mount Arafat) across more than 392,000 square meters, increasing the number of benefiting pilgrims fivefold compared with last year.

In healthcare, Kidana doubled bed capacity compared to last year by expanding Mina Emergency Hospital to strengthen emergency preparedness and improve medical services during Hajj.

Pedestrian routes across the holy sites were also upgraded through a 103,000-square-meter shading project, while more than 66,000 square meters of rest areas were developed along walking paths to improve pilgrim comfort.

As part of the Green Holy Sites initiative, more than 60,000 trees were planted, tripling the amount of green space.

The company also replaced mist spray columns with 400 misting fans at the Jamarat facility, increasing cooling capacity to serve around 360,000 pilgrims per hour, double last year’s level.

A project aimed at humanizing the Holy Sites also enhanced the visual environment in Muzdalifah, thereby improving the urban landscape.

Additionally, infrastructure projects focused on enriching the pilgrim experience and easing mobility.

Some 74 escalators were installed to connect Mina's hillside camps, helping improve crowd movement and access to accommodations.

To expand accommodation capacity in Mina, Kidana implemented the Kidana Al-Khayf tent project near the Jamarat complex across 24,000 square meters, alongside the Rabiah Kidana lodging project spanning more than 33,000 square meters.

The company also upgraded sanitation services through 516 facilities and nearly 17,000 toilets, reducing waiting times by 75% while maintaining pilgrim accommodation capacity.

Across Muzdalifah and Arafat, more than 6,900 toilets were added through 411 sanitation complexes, bringing the total number of restroom facilities in the holy sites to more than 115,000.

Kidana is also upgrading the technical and service infrastructure in pilgrim camps through enhanced fire safety and cooling networks, expanded power systems, and projects to improve operational safety and field services.

The integrated operational model highlights Saudi Arabia’s capability to manage one of the world’s most complex seasonal environments using advanced digital technologies and smart systems, turning the Holy Sites into a fully functioning modern city that emerges briefly each year to serve millions of pilgrims from around the world.

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Gulf

Saudi Civil Defense: Houthi Missile Shrapnel Injures Resident, Damages Property in Aseer

Saudi Civil Defense says Houthi missile shrapnel injures resident, damages property in Aseer. (SPA)
Saudi Civil Defense says Houthi missile shrapnel injures resident, damages property in Aseer. (SPA)
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Saudi Civil Defense: Houthi Missile Shrapnel Injures Resident, Damages Property in Aseer

Saudi Civil Defense says Houthi missile shrapnel injures resident, damages property in Aseer. (SPA)
Saudi Civil Defense says Houthi missile shrapnel injures resident, damages property in Aseer. (SPA)

Saudi Arabia's General Directorate of Civil Defense stated that Civil Defense teams in Ahad Rafidah Governorate, Aseer Region, responded on Friday, October 2, to falling shrapnel from a ballistic missile launched by the terrorist Houthi militia following its interception and destruction.

The falling shrapnel injured an Asian expatriate resident and caused material damage to a prayer room inside a building, as well as several civilian vehicles, the Saudi Press Agency said.

Approved emergency procedures were immediately implemented at the site.

Gulf

Report: Suspect in Flydubai Attack was Barred from Flying in Oman

A picture taken on March 8, 2026, shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737-8 MAX A6-FKF aircraft, which was bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals following a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, according to an Israeli official, in this handout image in a location given as Salzburg, Austria. Karl Dittlbacher/Handout via REUTERS
A picture taken on March 8, 2026, shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737-8 MAX A6-FKF aircraft, which was bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals following a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, according to an Israeli official, in this handout image in a location given as Salzburg, Austria. Karl Dittlbacher/Handout via REUTERS
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Report: Suspect in Flydubai Attack was Barred from Flying in Oman

A picture taken on March 8, 2026, shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737-8 MAX A6-FKF aircraft, which was bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals following a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, according to an Israeli official, in this handout image in a location given as Salzburg, Austria. Karl Dittlbacher/Handout via REUTERS
A picture taken on March 8, 2026, shows a Fly Dubai Boeing 737-8 MAX A6-FKF aircraft, which was bound for Israel from the United Arab Emirates diverted to Saudi Arabia after transmitting emergency signals following a fight between the pilots rather than a hijacking, according to an Israeli official, in this handout image in a location given as Salzburg, Austria. Karl Dittlbacher/Handout via REUTERS

The co-pilot accused of attacking the captain of a flydubai flight to Israel had previously been barred from flying in Oman over concerns about his extremist views, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday.

The WSJ said that Omani authorities had banned the pilot from flying over concerns he had adopted radical ideological views, citing people familiar with the matter.

The sources said Flydubai later hired the pilot, allowing him to operate flights on the route between the United Arab Emirates and Israel.

It was not immediately clear whether Oman had shared its concerns about the pilot’s extremism with other countries or airlines. There was also no information about the nature of the views that led to him being described as an extremist.

UAE authorities are leading the investigation into the incident. A UAE government spokesman declined to comment on the attacker’s record in Oman, saying it would be inappropriate to “preempt the findings of the investigation or influence its course.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday described Wednesday’s incident, in which a Flydubai plane came close to being brought down, as a terrorist act. He said the attacker “came with the intention of bringing down the plane with everyone on board.”

Aviation security analysts said the incident represented a major security failure. While a lapse in screening procedures may have allowed a weapon to get through, they said, an attacker with such motives should have been identified and stopped long before reaching the airport.

Netanyahu said Israel was investigating whether the pilot had carried out the attack alone or had been acting in coordination with others.

The captain and co-pilot are being investigated in the UAE after being transferred there on Thursday from Tabuk, where the plane made an emergency landing. Israel hopes to be able to question the attacker.

The flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv came close to disaster on Wednesday morning when the attacker stabbed the captain.

People who were on board told interviewers that the captain, who was seriously wounded, managed to open the cockpit door, allowing a group of passengers and crew members to overpower the attacker. Two reserve pilots who were on the flight then managed to regain control of the aircraft, stabilize it and land safely.

Gulf

Saudi Address: Stability, Deterrence, and Accelerating Economic Reforms

Saudi Crown Prince delivering the royal address (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince delivering the royal address (SPA)
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Saudi Address: Stability, Deterrence, and Accelerating Economic Reforms

Saudi Crown Prince delivering the royal address (SPA)
Saudi Crown Prince delivering the royal address (SPA)

The Royal Address delivered by Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman on behalf of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to the Shura Council on Wednesday conveyed several messages about Saudi Arabia’s approach to regional crises.

Analysts said the messages reaffirmed support for stability and political solutions, alongside the protection of sovereignty and national interests, while underscoring the continued implementation of rapid economic reforms under Saudi Vision 2030.

In the address, the Crown Prince stressed that Saudi Arabia was working to strengthen international cooperation, de-escalate conflicts and defuse tensions.

He said the Kingdom would not hesitate to respond firmly to any threat or attack against it.

He said Saudi Arabia supported the Yemeni government through the Arab Coalition “to extend its authority across the country, restore stability, and confront the attacks of the terrorist Houthi militias, which have chosen chaos and destruction and threats to the Yemeni people and the region.”

The Crown Prince said attacks targeting all Gulf states demonstrated that their security and stability were indivisible.

“We are working with our brothers to safeguard Gulf security and pursue strategic cooperation and economic integration,” he said.

He stressed that Saudi Arabia’s commitment to the rights of the Palestinian people was an unwavering position, backed by efforts that would continue until Palestinians secured their legitimate rights.

Six key points

Political analyst Munif al-Harbi said the Royal Address had six key points, foremost among them support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government to extend its authority over all Yemeni territory.

He said this indicated that reaching a political solution required “an effective change on the ground in favor of Yemen’s legitimate government.”

“Makkah Pact”

Harbi pointed to what he described as “clear Saudi satisfaction” with the Turkish and Pakistani roles in the Makkah agreement, which he said the Crown Prince had called the “Makkah Pact.”

He also highlighted the emphasis on the importance of the multinational maritime defense coalition, freedom of navigation and the international community’s responsibility in this regard.

“The Palestinian issue remains a Saudi foreign policy priority”

The inclusion of the Palestinian issue in the address, despite successive regional crises, reflected its continued place among Saudi foreign policy priorities, Harbi said.

He said this was evident in the assertion that peace in the Middle East required the establishment of a Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.

On domestic affairs, Harbi noted that the address linked the response to political and security conditions with the continued implementation of Saudi Vision 2030.

He pointed to the Crown Prince’s statement that Saudi Vision programs had achieved 93% of their objectives, alongside a continued focus on development, national advancement, prosperity and quality of life.

A message about “Saudi human and military capabilities”

Harbi added that the address conveyed a message about Saudi Arabia’s human and military capabilities and its ability to respond to threats.

He also cited what he described as the Kingdom’s “advanced deterrence capability,” which enabled it to address challenges and turn them into opportunities.

Political researcher Faisal al-Shammeri said the address reflected Saudi Arabia acting “from the position of a confident state that knows its interests and approaches regional issues through stability and the responsible exercise of power.”

Shammeri said the political dimension of the address focused on the interconnected nature of Gulf security. Regional challenges were presented as parts of a single framework affecting the region’s security and stability, rather than as separate issues.

He added that, in his reading, the address balanced support for diplomatic solutions and de-escalation with a commitment to protecting sovereignty and national interests.

“Leaving no strategic vacuum”

Shammeri said the positions on the Palestinian issue, Red Sea and Gulf security, and Yemen’s stability reflected the continuity of Saudi policy on those issues.

He said the address’s overall message was that the Kingdom did not seek escalation but would not leave what he described as a “strategic vacuum” in its neighborhood.

International affairs researcher Ahmed al-Ibrahim said the address reflected Saudi Arabia’s continued policy of combining diplomatic action with the ability to protect national interests.

It also stressed that regional stability depended on supporting state institutions and preventing crises from becoming persistent sources of threats, he said.

Ibrahim added that linking regional developments with the continued implementation of Vision 2030 indicated that Riyadh viewed development as a strategic course that would continue through crises.

On regional affairs, he said Yemen, maritime security and the Palestinian issue stood out in a context that emphasized political solutions, alongside the Kingdom’s readiness to address threats to its security and regional stability.