In June 2025, footage on TikTok and YouTube showed lines of large mechanized umbrellas opening above pedestrians and giving them shade. The captions for these videos stated these were high-tech umbrellas in Medina, Saudi Arabia that provided shade to pilgrims visiting the Masjid an-Nabawi, also known as the Prophet's Mosque, one of the holiest sites for Muslims worldwide.
The above footage is authentic. The piazza around the Prophet's Mosque in Medina does have all these mechanized umbrellas that open and close at different hours in order to provide shade to pilgrims. As such, we rate this claim as true.
We found photographs and footage of the umbrellas on Getty Images. The photographs, taken by Amir Mukhtar, show the umbrellas open during the day and night. Footage on Getty Images also shows the umbrella opening at dawn.
The photographs below show pilgrims gathered outside of the Prophet's Mosque:
(Amir Mukhtar/Getty Images)
(Amir Mukhtar/Getty Images)
According to Sustainability Magazine, a news outlet focused on sustainability in business, a German engineering firm undertook the project for the Saudi government in 2008. Liebherr-Werk Ehingen, a subsidiary of Liebherr Group, was commissioned to do the work by the Saudi Binladin Group.
The engineering firm's official Instagram account shared footage and photographs of the umbrellas opening and closing:
According to the firm's website, the prototype for this umbrella was developed in 1988:
In 1988, SL Rasch developed the prototype of a convertible umbrella as a study for the potential shading system on the large piazza around the Prophet's Mosque in Medina. This was the first umbrella with a folding arm system, and its mechanism permits a maximum span of more than 12 metres. The structure is designed for wind speeds of up to 155 kilometres per hour – in both deployed and folded position. An anemometer ensures the umbrella is prevented from opening or closing when a strong wind is blowing.
According to Senatus, a lifestyle magazine, the project was completed in 2010 and had 250 umbrellas, each 20 meters (66 feet) tall and covering an area of 25.5 meters by 25.5 meters (84 feet by 84 feet) when open.
Rising temperatures have made pilgrimage to sites in Saudi Arabia difficult for Muslims around the world and have resulted in numerous deaths from heat stress over the years. The Prophet's Mosque is an important destination for pilgrims, and the umbrellas have reportedly reduced temperatures in the area by around 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit). The design also features hydraulic cylinders that adjust and cool the area, as well as water misting systems.