RIYADH: Older pilgrims who performed Hajj decades ago say the pilgrimage has undergone a dramatic transformation over the years, evolving from a physically demanding journey into a highly organized experience.
The pilgrimage experience today is supported by modern transportation networks, cooling technologies and improved infrastructure to help millions perform their rituals more comfortably and safely.
The transformation reflects Saudi Arabia’s continuing efforts to improve services at the holy sites as part of Vision 2030 and the Pilgrim Experience Program.
Mohsen Jambi, 61, recalls accompanying his family to Hajj during the 1970s, when his father worked assisting a mutawwif (guide) responsible for helping and serving pilgrims arriving from Southeast Asia.
“At that time, there were hundreds of Makkah families working during Hajj season,” Jambi told Arab News.
“My father worked helping organize pilgrims’ accommodation, transportation and movement between the holy sites. Hajj season was truly a season for the people of Makkah because many families depended on it through transportation, food services and helping pilgrims.”
Jambi said the mutawwif system at the time relied heavily on reputation and long-standing relationships, with pilgrims specifically requesting certain guides and families to organize their pilgrimage.
He added: “These families had reputations built over decades. So, if a certain mutawwif had a good reputation, people from those countries would specifically request to go with him.”
He recalled accompanying his father to Mina as a child, helping guide pilgrims to Jamarat and serving food and water inside the camps, while his mother assisted women pilgrims with questions related to rituals.
“We all helped in some way,” he said. “It felt very social. On Eid, families gathered in Mina and shared sweets with pilgrims. I remember walking between camps with my friends late at night.”
Jambi said that before permits were introduced, Hajj was largely open, allowing people from around the world to travel more freely, which often led to overcrowding during the pilgrimage season.
Transportation in earlier decades relied heavily on overloaded buses. While some pilgrims traveled in organized groups, others arrived in private cars or pickup trucks, with large numbers of people packed into single vehicles.
“The buses were not enough,” he said. “Pilgrims squeezed themselves inside, and sometimes they even sat on top of the buses.
“Everything was open, so people moved whenever they wanted. It was crowded and not organized.”
Today, however, he said the Hajj experience had become much easier due to major improvements in transportation, infrastructure, permit systems and crowd management.
“Nowadays it is totally different,” Jambi said. “Transportation is well organized. There are buses, trains and safer walking routes. Even people who want to walk between the holy sites can now do that more safely.”
Saudi Arabia this year has deployed more than 3,000 buses to transport pilgrims to the Grand Mosque and another 5,000 buses for shuttle services, while the Holy Sites Train operates at a capacity of up to 72,000 passengers per hour.
Jambi said one of the most notable transformations had taken place around the Jamarat area, where movement was once extremely congested during the stoning ritual.
He said: “Before, everybody moved at the same time; now, movement is scheduled. Groups are assigned different timings across the day, and the Jamarat itself expanded into multiple levels, which made a huge difference.”
Saudi Arabia is also using AI-powered systems to monitor crowds, predict surges and help prevent dangerous bottlenecks.
Jamlaa Al-Sharedah, 63, said Hajj three decades ago felt different from today, with pilgrims relying more on family arrangements during the journey.
Families at that time often organized their own Hajj using small buses or private vehicles, bringing tents, cooking equipment, water and personal belongings with them before heading toward the holy sites.
“Everyone carried something,” Al-Sharedah told Arab News. “We carried our belongings with us while moving between Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat because there were no organized arrangements like today.”
She recalled how families moved together between the holy sites, often walking long distances because congestion made transportation difficult.
“From Arafat, we often walked because buses would take too long due to the crowds,” she said. “Walking sometimes felt easier than waiting.”
She said Hajj during those years required significantly more physical effort compared to today.
Heat management, transportation and crowd control have improved significantly since, she added.
“Now there’s a big difference: mist sprays, umbrellas and better transportation,” Al-Sharedah said.“You can move between sites in 10 or 15 minutes, and now there are shaded areas, restrooms and places to rest everywhere.“
She added that the overall experience today felt far more comfortable when compared to the past, and said: “Now it feels like going on a trip or a picnic.”
As part of this year’s Hajj preparations, Saudi Arabia has expanded green spaces across the holy sites by planting more than 60,000 trees. The Kingdom has also installed more than 6,000 misting columns to reduce heat stress for pilgrims.
Shaded pedestrian walkways have been expanded across the holy sites, seating areas added, and cooling systems and rubber flooring fitted to ease long walks for pilgrims.
One of the biggest changes, Al-Sharedah said, had been the redevelopment of the Jamarat area.
“The strongest and fastest used to throw first and leave,” she said. “Elderly people struggled because the crowds were intense.”
Pathways, escalators and crowd-management systems had transformed the experience, she added.
