A valley between mountains
Mina lies between Makkah and Muzdalifah, in a valley closed by mountains to the north and south, with Muhassir Valley on the Muzdalifah side. It falls within the boundaries of the Haram and covers about 16.8 km². Pilgrims move there from the eighth of Dhu al-Hijjah and spend the days of Tashreeq there.
The valley holds a place in the early history of Islam, as the setting of the two Aqabah pledges. Al-Bay'ah Mosque, built in 761 under the Abbasid caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur, marks the second, while al-Khayf Mosque, expanded in 1987, holds about 25,000 worshippers.
The Jamarat and the tents
Stoning the three Jamarat, al-Sughra, al-Wusta and al-Aqabah, is the rite that defines Mina. The first Jamarat Bridge was built in 1974, in King Faisal's reign; today's facility rises five storeys of 12 m each, on foundations designed to carry twelve, with four tunnels linking it to Makkah.
Around it stand some 160,000 upgraded tents, with room for about 2.6 million pilgrims. In the season, the 17 trains of the Mashaer line serve nine stations across Mina, Muzdalifah and Arafat; the line first ran in 2010.