Riyadh: Ghilaf-e-Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah was changed on Tuesday night marking the beginning of the new Islamic year of 1445, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The process was carried out by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque under the supervision of the President of the Presidency, Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais.
The ten-step elaborate process of replacing the old cloth with a new handmade Kiswah involved 130 technicians and manufacturers.
Kiswa in Arabic means clothing made for covering the body, but it is also used as a term for the silk covering of the Kaaba. It is made of high-quality black velvet backed by a heavy-duty lining.
The covering of the Kaaba is made of 47 pieces of natural silk, each 98 cm by 14 meters. The outer layer of the Kiswa consists of 670 kg of pure silk. The lining on the inside is a strong cotton lining, which helps keep the silk on top.
A golden thread adorns the black silk, inscribed with Quranic verses and phrases such as “There is no god but Allah” and “Glory be to Allah.”
