Pilgrims began arriving in Mina on Monday to observe the Day of Tarwiyah, marking the official start of the Hajj rituals, amid extensive operational and service preparations announced by Saudi authorities.

Mina is capable of accommodating more than 2.6 million pilgrims as part of the world’s largest seasonal tent city, while authorities this year expanded shading projects, rest areas, and pedestrian movement systems.

Crowd movement plans also rely on an advanced digital system for managing and monitoring pilgrim mobility between the holy sites.