Riyadh – Mubasher: Saudi Arabia is looking to introduce capsule rooms in the western city of Mina for around two million pilgrims in the coming days as the Muslim hajj pilgrimage starts Sunday, 19 August.

Reminiscent of Japan’s famed capsule hotels, the free nap pods are part of the oil-rich kingdom’s new measures to modernise the centuries-old practice of hajj.

To this end, the GCC nation has also introduced apps for on-the-spot translation and emergency medical care during the six-day hajj.

Mansour al-Amer, head of the Haji and Mutamer Gift Charitable Association, said that the Saudi charity is to offer between 18 and 24 capsules for pilgrims to nap in for free in the next days.

Less than three metres long and just over one metre high, each fibreglass pod, imported from Japan at cost of around $1,114 each, will feature a mattress, clean sheets, air conditioning and a large, well-lit mirror. The name of the pods' manufacturer was not disclosed. 

"We are always thinking about pilgrims and how to make them more comfortable during the rituals of hajj," Amer told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Providing a solution for pilgrims of limited means, each napper will have a three-hour access to the pods. Then, the capsule rooms will be sterilised during prayer time before handing it over to the next pilgrim.

“We believe it's extremely well-suited for crowded places in our holy sites and in Mecca,” Amer said.

Earlier this year, the kingdom implemented the trial run of 12 pods by allowing around 60 people to use each pod every day during the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

It’s worth noting that Saudi authorities have launched a “smart hajj" initiative in a bid to meet the mounting demands of hajj, which coincides with the nation’s “Vision 2030” reform plan, intended to diversify its oil-dependent economy and invest more heavily in infrastructure.