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.



Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
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Forest Fire Near Athens Under Control, But Area on High Alert

A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A firefighting airplane sprays water on a hill in Thymari, south of Athens, Thursday, June 26, 2025. (104 Fahrenheit). (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)

Greek firefighters said Friday that a forest blaze that had forced evacuations around Athens was under control, but warned that scorching temperatures were keeping fire risk at a highly elevated level around the capital and on northern Aegean islands.

Greece has become particularly vulnerable in recent years to fires in the summer fueled by strong winds, drought and high temperatures linked to climate change.

The fire around Athens broke on Thursday afternoon near the towns of Palaia Fokaia and Thymari, around 50 kilometers (30 miles) east of Athens, and forced the evacuation of five villages popular with local and foreign tourists, AFP reported.

Though it was under control on Friday, a volatile combination of high temperatures and strong winds meant that a high risk of other fires breaking out remained, especially in the Attica region around the Greek capital and some islands in the north Aegean Sea, authorities said.

A spokesman for the fire service told AFP that over 100 firefighters with 37 vehicles and a helicopter were on standby near Palaia Fokaia and Thymari.

Fields, olive groves and some houses were ravaged by the blaze.

The blaze came on the heels of another fire on the island of Chios -- Greece's fifth-largest island -- which had destroyed more than 4,000 hectares (10,000 acres) of land in four days.

Weather agencies forecast a heatwave in the coming days with temperatures of more than 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), including in the capital Athens.