What’s inside the Kaaba and what covers it? The story of the Kiswah
Summary
The Kaaba is the holiest site in Islam, located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is covered by a black silk cloth called the Kiswah. Millions of Muslims visit the Kaaba during the annual Hajj pilgrimage, where they follow rituals including circling the Kaaba and touching the Kiswah.Key Facts
- The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building inside the Grand Mosque in Mecca, measuring about 43 feet tall and 42 feet wide.
- Muslims face the Kaaba during their daily prayers, which connects over a billion people worldwide in worship.
- Muslims believe the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael originally built the Kaaba as a place to worship one God.
- The Kaaba’s interior has three wooden pillars, marble walls and floors, hanging lanterns, and a staircase to the roof.
- The Kaaba door is made of 280 kg (617 lbs) of gold and is about 10 feet tall; it is opened twice a year to clean the inside.
- The Kiswah is the black silk cloth covering the Kaaba, embroidered with Quran verses in gold thread, and is made of 47 pieces of cloth.
- The Kiswah weighs several hundred kilograms and includes a decorative belt called the hizam and a richly decorated curtain over the door called the sitara.
- Pilgrims touch the Kiswah during Hajj, and part of it is carefully lifted to protect it from damage.
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