This is a beautiful photoessay of the Hajj, with excellent captions that shows many of the cultural customs that are associated with the massive pilgrimage. The tremendous influx of tourists/pilgrims into the Mecca area, there is a huge economic industry that supports and depends on the tourists. For a BBC article about the market impacts of the Hajj, see: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11777483
These photo’s are amazing! Number 12 with the crowd of people and the ambulance in the middle shows the massive amount of people. Their heads look like dots in a sea of white. These pictures show what words just cannot describe.
One of the five pillars of Islam is the Hajj. A pilgrimage to mecca that has the byproduct of being economically prosperous. Every year droves of people flock to Mecca. Where they stay, what they eat, what they buy all pump money in the local economy. Although it was not meant to be an economic cash cow, the Hajj definatley provides businesses with an influx of money. This shows how religion definatley has economic repercussion and that all facets of geography are interconnected.