Mina goes high-tech (plus a pic or two)

 
Pilgrims walk by the new Jamaraat Bridge, in Mina.  Saudi authorities have expanded the complex, scene of deadling stampedes in years past, to make pedestrian flow more manageable.

The scene in Mina today is very festive.  It’s not easy wearing the ihram – and all the conditions it brings with it – and most pilgrims are in a rush to remove it as soon as they can.  The first step in that process happens with the “stoning of the devil” ritual.