Jamaraat Bridge

Mina

Each year millions of Muslims make the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia, fulfilling the obligation that all Muslims visit Islam's holiest city at least once in their lives, if they are physically and financially able.

During the five-day hajj, pilgrims perform a series of religious rites along a 12-kilometre route, including the ritual "Stoning of the Devil" at Jamaraat Bridge in nearby Mina.

There was a time when this was considered the most perilous part of the hajj, given the surging crowds on the narrow pedestrian bridge, which occasionally led to stampedes. As the numbers kept growing, the Saudi government sought ways to ensure the safety of worshipers that would also preserve the sanctity of the religious site.

Otis answered the call.

In 2006 Saudi authorities decided to demolish the existing bridge and start from scratch. They asked Otis to design a state-of-the-art system for moving as many as 300,000 pilgrims an hour up and across the new bridge safely, efficiently and reliably.

The new Jamaraat Bridge, completed in 2009, features five levels, a column-free interior space and 328 Otis escalators: 28 in each of the bridge's 11 towers, plus another 20 that provide external access to the bridge. The bridge is also equipped with six passenger elevators, two ambulance elevators and two helipad elevators.

During the hajj season, escalators operate round-the-clock. Pilgrims cross the bridge multiple times on successive days to complete the ritual. During the 2017 hajj, the escalators carried an estimated total of 12.5 to 15 million passengers.