Cape Town - Each year hundreds of thousands of Muslim pilgrims make their way to Mecca in Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj (pilgrimage)
This spiritual journey includes the celebration of Eid al-Adha (Eid of sacrifice) which is being celebrated on September 1 this year and lasts for three days.
During their time on Hajj, the pilgrims also visit the city of Mina, where they partake in the symbolic stoning of the devil.
The city of Mina, located less than 10km from Mecca, is along the road to the Hill of Arafat, another significant spiritual site also known as Jabal ar-Rahmah (The mountain of mercy).
Mina is home to the largest city of tents in the world. It is also known as Tent City. Hundreds of thousands of air conditioned, floored and plumbed tents can accommodate some 3.5 million people at any given time, and its sprawling expanse is a site to behold.
An aerial view of the massive city of tents in Mina, Saudi Arabia. Video: Supplied Last year, more than 1.8 million people from around the world went on Hajj - the lowest number in the past decade.
The sprawling expanse of some 20km2 has had its fair share of disasters. In 2015, overcrowding caused the death of more than 2 400 people in a crush and crowd collapse, the deadliest in history. In 1990, a similar incident left 1 426 people dead.