NDTV: Mansour al-Amer swipes a card to reveal a narrow sleep pod, reminiscent of Japan’s famed capsule hotels. But this pod is in Saudi Arabia, where the Muslim hajj pilgrimage begins Sunday.
The kingdom has plans to introduce capsule rooms in the western city of Mina in the coming days, as an estimated two million Muslim faithful gather for the six-day hajj, one of the five pillars of Islam.
The free nap pods are part of new measures Saudi Arabia is rolling out this year in a bid to modernise the centuries-old practice of hajj. Each fibreglass pod — less than three metres long and just over one metre high — features a mattress, clean sheets, air conditioning and a large, well-lit mirror.
The pods can be lined up horizontally or stacked vertically to save on space.
The nap pods provide a solution for pilgrims of limited means who cannot afford to book hotels on site but need a quick rest during hajj.
Each napper will have three hours of access to the pods, which are imported from Japan at cost of around $1,114 (1,000 euros) each.
When the pilgrim wakes for prayer time — five times daily in Islam — workers will sterilise the pod before handing it over to the next pilgrim.
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