Mina Minā (مِنَى) | |
|---|---|
Neighbourhood | |
| Mina | |
 Tents at Mina | |
| Nickname: City of Tents | |
  Mina Location in Saudi Arabia Show map of Saudi Arabia Mina Mina (Middle East) Show map of Middle East Mina Mina (West and Central Asia) Show map of West and Central Asia | |
| Country |  Saudi Arabia |
| Province | Mecca Province, Al-Hejaz |
| City | Mecca |
| Area | |
• Total | 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (AST) |
Mina (Arabic:مِنَى,romanized: Minā), nicknamed the "City of theTents,"[1][2] is a valley located 8 kilometres (5 miles) southeast of the city ofMecca, in the district of Masha'er,Province of Makkah in theHejazi region ofSaudi Arabia. Covering an area of approximately 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi), Mina incorporates the tents, the area ofJamarat, and theslaughterhouses just outside the tents.[1]
Mina is most famous for its role in theHajj ("Pilgrimage"). To accommodate the pilgrims who stay in Mina over multiple nights in the month ofDhu al-Hijjah, more than 100,000air-conditioned tents have been built in the area, giving Mina the nickname "City of Tents." With a capacity of up to 3 million people, Mina has been called the largesttent city in the world.[1][3][4] The three Jamarat, located in the Mina valley, are the location of the Jamarat, performed betweensunrise andsunset in the final days of the Hajj. The stone throwing ritual commemorates theIslamic prophetIbrahim (Abraham)'sstoning of the Devil, who wanted to prevent him from carrying out the command ofAllah tosacrifice his son,Isma'il (Ishmael).[5]
In Islamic tradition, Ibrahim left his wife,Hajar (Hagar) and their infant son, Isma'il, in the valley of Mecca. Upon one of his visits to his family in Mecca, he was ordered byGod in adream to sacrifice his son in the Mina valley. While carrying out his son's sacrifice, he was interrupted by theShaitan (Devil), and commanded byAllah to stone the Devil. The ritual ofJamarat is a commemoration of this belief.[5] Mina is also believed to be the location of thepledges in Al-Aqabah of theAnsar to the Islamic prophetMuhammad.[6]
Before the tents were built, pilgrims would bring their own tents to the valley and dismantle them while returning from the Hajj. Sometime in the 1990s, permanent cotton tents were installed by the Saudi government. These cotton tents were especially susceptible to fires, which took many pilgrims' lives. After the1997 Mina fires which resulted in the deaths of more than 340 pilgrims, more than 100,000 permanent tents, measuring 8 by 8 metres (26 ft × 26 ft), were built.[1][7][8] These are constructed offiberglass with an outer coating ofTeflon to protect them from fires. The tents are grouped into camps, each with their own exterior walls, and divided by the nationalities of pilgrims, providing temporary accommodation to up to 3 million pilgrims.[1][3] Each camp is equipped with akitchen,bathrooms, andablution facilities, and is connected to the other camps by pathways. The tents are also marked with unique color-and-number pairs to make them more identifiable.[1]
Owing to its location and the extreme numbers of pilgrims during the Hajj, Mina and the surrounding region, especially theJamarat Bridge, are hotspots forstampedes, the deadliest of which was the2015 stampede, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,000 pilgrims:
| Date | Name of the incident | Location | Deaths | Non-fatal injuries | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 July 1990 | 1990 Mecca tunnel stampede | al-Mu'aisim Tunnel,Mecca | 1,426 | Unknown | [7][8] |
| 23 May 1994 | 1994 Hajj stampede | Jamarat Bridge | 270+ | 200+ | [7][8][9][10] |
| 15 April 1997 | 1997 Mina fires | Mina | 340+ | 1,500+ | [7][8] |
| 9 April 1998 | 1998 Hajj stampede | Jamarat Bridge | 118+ | 180+ | [7][8][11] |
| 5 March 2001 | 2001 Hajj stampede | Jamarat Bridge | 35+ | Unknown | [7][8][12] |
| 1 February 2004 | 2004 Hajj stampede | Jamarat Bridge | 251+ | 244+ | [7][8][13][14] |
| 12 January 2006 | 2006 Hajj stampede | Jamarat Bridge | 363 | 1,000+ | [7][8][15] |
| 24 September 2015 | 2015 Mina stampede | Street(s) 204/223, Mina | 769+ | 936+ | [7][8][16][17][18] |
Mina is situated in the eponymous Mina valley, at an elevation of approximately 400 m (1,300 ft).[19] It is bordered by theal-'Aziziyah district of Mecca in the west, the 4th Ring Road to the north,Muzdalifah to the east, and theal-Jami'ah district to the south. The westernmost features of Mina are the three Jamarat, which are stoned during theJamarat. These are, theJamarat al-Sughra', the westernmost and smallest, theJamarat al-Wusta', the intermediary, and theJamarat al-Kubra', also calledJamarat al-'Aqabah, the largest and easternmost. In a 2003 study, the distance between the first two was measured to be 135 m (443 ft) and the distance between the latter two was measured at 225 metres (738 feet).[19] To the north-east of Mina are the slaughterhouses, where thesacrificial animals of theHajj pilgrims are slaughtered. TheMasjid al-Khayf is located in the centre of the Mina valley, and is active only during the Hajj.
| Al-Khaif Mosque | |
|---|---|
Masjid al-Khayf (مَسْجِد ٱلْخَيْف) | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Mosque |
| Status | Active |
| Location | |
| Location | Mina,Makkah,Hejaz |
| Country | Saudi Arabia |
 Interactive map of Al-Khaif Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 21°24′54.98″N39°52′40.07″E / 21.4152722°N 39.8777972°E /21.4152722; 39.8777972 |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Mosque architecture |
| Style | Islamic |
| Specifications | |
| Direction of façade | Qiblah |
| Minaret | 4 |
| Site area | 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft)[6] |
Al-Khaif Mosque [ar] (Arabic:مَسْجِد ٱلْخَيْف,romanized: Masjid al-Khayf), covering approximately 20,000 m2 (220,000 sq ft), is the largest mosque in Mina. It is associated with Islamic ProphetMuhammad.[6]
Highway 40, one of Saudi Arabia's most important highways, is less than 3 km (1.9 miles) from Mina and is accessible through the Al Hajj Street.The Mashaer Al-Muqaddassah Metro, currently Saudi Arabia's only complete metro line, is active only during the Hajj, and ends in Mina, near theJamarat al-'Aqaba, with Mina Station 3. Running northwest, it starts in'Arafat, going through Muzdalifah, before reaching Mina Station 1, near the Armed Forces Hospital. The next station, less than 1 kilometre (0.62 miles), is the Mina Station 2, located near the Mina al-Jisr Hospital. Finally, the line terminates near the Jamarat, at Mina Station 3.
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Every year, from the eighth to the twelfth day ofDhu al-Hijjah. | ||
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