Kidana Completes 1st Phase of Double-Story Tent Project in Mina to Expand Hajj Capacity

The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims. - SPA
The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims. - SPA
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Kidana Completes 1st Phase of Double-Story Tent Project in Mina to Expand Hajj Capacity

The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims. - SPA
The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims. - SPA

Kidana Development Company, the executive arm of the Royal Commission for Makkah City and Holy Sites, has successfully completed the first phase of its double-story tent project in Mina, representing approximately 75% of the total project carried out in partnership with the private sector.

The project is part of a comprehensive development plan designed to enrich the pilgrim experience, increase capacity, and improve the quality of accommodation services in Mina, ensuring a comfortable and safe residential environment for pilgrims, SPA reported.

The first phase, developed in collaboration with a national company, covers more than 20,000 square meters and includes over 40 buildings equipped with more than 550 restrooms. Construction was completed in approximately 100 days using various techniques that accelerated implementation and delivered robust, flexible solutions capable of withstanding weather fluctuations.

For the Hajj season 1446 AH, approximately 8,000 pilgrims from various Hajj packages, both domestic and international, are expected to use the site. This limited deployment will serve as a critical test of the project's effectiveness and its suitability for meeting the diverse needs of pilgrims, potentially paving the way for expansion across the holy sites.

The full project is scheduled for completion by next year's Hajj season, with an expected capacity of up to 20,000 pilgrims.

The double-story tent initiative is set to significantly enhance the quality of accommodation services in the holy sites, enriching the pilgrim experience by providing a safe and organized residential environment that supports their well-being and meets diverse needs.

It will also create an optimal setting for performing rituals with ease and peace, contributing to greater pilgrim satisfaction and promoting sustainable, efficient land use.



70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
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70 South African White Rhinos Relocated to Rwanda

 White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)
White rhinos have been the targets of a poaching epidemic that has largely wiped them out. (AFP)

Rwanda said on Tuesday that 70 white rhinos had been successfully relocated to the Great Lakes nation after a two-day journey of some 3,000 kilometers (over 1,800 miles) from South Africa.

It was the largest ever relocation of rhinos, which can weigh up to two tons, Rwandan officials said.

Once abundant across sub-Saharan Africa, rhino numbers have dramatically fallen due to hunting by European colonizers and large-scale poaching.

The animals were transported in two loads of 35 -- first aboard a Boeing 747, then by road -- from South Africa's Munywana Conservancy to Akagera National Park in Rwanda, or about 3,000 kilometers as the crow flies, according to the Rwanda Development Board (RDB).

A "dedicated veterinary team will closely monitor their health and behavior for several weeks to ensure proper adaptation to their new environment and management of any stress associated with the move", it said in a statement.

The move was part of African Parks' Rhino Rewild Initiative, supported by The Howard G. Buffett Foundation, and aims to support population growth and secure a new breeding stronghold in Rwanda.

According to the International Rhino Foundation (IRF), rhino poaching in Africa rose by four percent from 2022 to 2023, with at least 586 rhinos poached in 2023.

The southern white rhino, one of two subspecies, is now listed as "near threatened", with roughly 17,000 individuals remaining, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The northern white rhino has all but vanished, with only two females left alive.