photographs © Ali Kazuyoshi Nomachi/PPS

No matter when they arrived in Mecca, early in the morning on the ninth day of Zul-Hijjah, the pilgrims all take to the roads leading out of town toward Mina Valley. By the next morning, Mecca will be virtually empty. This exodus of some two million white robed people is the start of a five-day journey into the desert. It is a period in which the whole Hajj population gives up its usual comforts and returns to the basic metaphor of life as a journey on the earth. During this period, pilgrims trade their usual existence for life in a tent on the sand. They trade the distractions of modern life for a time of deep spiritual reflection, a unique individual link to Allah (SWT). This exchange of urban amenities for a more timeless desert life further dissolves class distinctions and binds the Hajj community more closely.