Every year, participants in the Burning Man Festival descend on the playa of Nevada's Black Rock Desert to form a temporary city – a self-reliant community populated by performers, artists, free spirits, and more. Last week, an estimated 68,000 people came to Burning Man 2013 from all over the world to dance, express themselves, and take in the spectacle. Gathered below are some of the sights from the festival, which lasted a week and came to its conclusion yesterday

Meerkats are weighed and measured during the ZSL London Zoo 's annual weigh-in on August 22, 2012 in London, England. The height and mass of every animal in the zoo, of which there are over 16,000, needs to be recorded. The measurements are collated in the Zoological Information Management System, from which zoologists can use the data to compare information on thousands of endangered species. (Photo by Oli Scarff)

Ethiopian Airlines female pilots prepare the plane before takeoff at Bole international airport in the capital Addis Ababa, November 19, 2015. Ethiopia Airlines on Thursday, dispatched its first ever all-female operated flight. Every aspect of the journey was handled by women, from the ground crew, aircraft maintenance to traffic controllers. Gualu and her co-pilot were charged with flying the crew and passengers to Bangkok, Thailand. (Photo by Tiksa Negeri/Reuters)

India's Border Security Force (BSF) soldiers ride their camels during a rehearsal for the “Beating the Retreat” ceremony in New Delhi, India, January 27, 2016. The ceremony symbolises retreat after a day on the battlefield, and marks the official end of the Indian Republic Day celebrations. It is held every year on January 29. (Photo by Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters)

Members of a music band rest before the procession of “Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem”, in Constancia April 6, 2015. This benediction has been held annually for about 200 years. In the past, goods were transported by the Tagus river in small boats to Lisbon, 100 km south. The sailors, as the navigation was dangerous, blessed their boats every year during the festivity of “Nossa Senhora da Boa Viagem”. (Photo by Rafael Marchante/Reuters)