Pictured: The sprawling tent city as 3m Muslims descend on Mecca (one word: WOW!)

DailyMail.uk ^ | 09th December 2008 | staff writer

[yankeedame]

Pictured: The sprawling tent city as 3million Muslims descend on Mecca for holy Islamic pilgrimage

These astonishing images show a vast tent city housing thousands of Muslims in Saudi Arabia for the holy hajj pilgrimage....the Kabaa, Islam's holiest shrine....

Thousands of tents housing Muslim pilgrims are crowded together in Mina
near Mecca, today

Thousands throng the roads into and through the sprawling city

Later in the day, pilgrims enjoyed a feast of freshly slaughtered sheep, goats and camels at a huge tent city in Mina, a desert valley east of Islam's holiest city, Mecca, where the Kabaa resides....

Similar sacrifices, marking the start of the Eid al- Adha, or Feast of the Sacrifice...commemorates a story celebrated by Muslims...in which God asked the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his son to prove his faith, but then in the end offered a sheep to kill instead...

This aerial image made from a helicopter shows tens of thousands of Muslim pilgrims moving around the Kaaba, the black cube seen at centre

Moderator note: Getty image deleted
Saudi policemen monitor CCTV screens of Muslims
performing the annual hajj pilgrimage

Turned on its head: A helicopter view of the city

Col.Khaled al-Mahmadi, the head of security at the Jamarat, said precautionary measures have been taken to avoid a stampede...

[angcat]

That is what that little gathering is about each year. I have browsed the Koran and it is a little evil book.

[tgusa]

well, 3 M anyway

[Scythian]

I could never be a muslim and go to Mecca, the bathroom situation must be atrocious ....

[ConservaTexan]

[ducdriver]

What would Harry Reid say?

[Cronos]

The religion was a clever marketing ploy by Muhammed. The Ka'aba contains a black meteorite which the Muslims say was given by Allah and where Abraham came to worship (though that's not mentioned in the OT and that story was unheard of for over 2600 years until Muhammed). Anyway, this Ka'aba temple to the moon god Sin (aka Allah) and his daughters was a pilgramage centre to pre-Islamic South-Westerna Arabs.

And, the caretakers of the Ka'aba were, surprise, surprise, Muhammed's family, the Qurayshis. By getting so many pilgrims the Qurayshies got so much more money. And now they're considered the Holy family (according to Allah, the most perfect race are the Arabs, the most perfect among those arabs are Qurayshis and the most perfect among those are Muhammed's descendents)

Islam's two major sects Sunnis and Shia'ahs arose because the Shia'as thought that Mo's son-in-law Ali should be Caliph, but the Sunnis went with Omar Bakri. Then later sects in islam are because one group wanted a certain Fatimid or Abbasid Caliph and the others said no.

Completely political

[MississippiMan]

Why do they go to Saudi Arabia to celebrate an event that took place in Israel?

MM

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I'd love to have the T shirt concession here.

Where are the porta potties?

[70th Division]

Can you imagine the SMELL?

[RightField]

. . . pilgrims enjoyed a feast of freshly slaughtered sheep, goats and camels . . .

Feast is not a word I would associate with a meal that included camel meat!

Or sheep or goats, for that matter

[econjack]

Harry would say the trip “is voluntary”.

[MplsSteve]

It’s kinda like being a Green Bay Packers fan.

At least once in your life you’re expected to make a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field. Even if you don’t have tickets, it’s still OK if you walk around the stadium and then maybe visit the Stadium View Bar or Reggie White’s Pro Shop.

At no point are you obligated to slaughter a sheep or perform ablutions. But it is required that you drink at least one beer in the parking lot or if you can’t drink, you’re supposed to buy a souvenir at the Packer Pro Shop.

If I die tomorrow, I’m going to heaven because I have made a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field.

[Skooz]

As a Chiefs fan, I feel the same about Arrowhead.

Finally made it in 2005 and again in 2006. Awesome.

I would love to visit Lambeau someday.

[gracesdad]

“Feast is not a word I would associate with a meal that included camel meat!”

Goat and sheep are good. I’d give camel a try.

[Izzy Dunne]

Why do they go to Saudi Arabia to celebrate an event that took place in Israel?

Israel denied them visas?

[tatsinfla]

heres our chance...1 bomb 3m gone....

[Cronos]

you mean


Looks like the Eye of Sauron, eh?

[umgud]

Who farted?

[Drumbo]

Do we still have neutron bombs in our arsenal?

Until next month ...

[Cronos]

non-muslims are not allowed to step inside the “holey” cities of Mecca or Medina. Christians are not permitted to wear crucifixes or carry Bibles into the “holey” land of Saudi Arabia and there are no Churches in that “holey” land