One Picture: The pilgrimage

The only way to really come close to understanding the scale of the pilgrimage to Mecca is to click the image for a larger view. And even that doesn’t do it justice.

This AP photo shows Muslim pilgrims on their way to throw cast stones at a pillar, symbolizing the stoning of Satan, in a ritual called “Jamarat,” the last rite of the annual hajj, in Mina near the Saudi holy city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, Thursday, Nov. 18, 2010.

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The Boston Globe’s The Big Picture has many more images, including one showing thousands of tents set up to handle some of the crowd. Each one has air conditioning.