Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has started the annual ceremonial washing of the Holy Kaaba
Prince Badr bin Sultan, the deputy governor of Makkah, led the ceremonial washing on behalf of Saudi King Salman.
The ceremony is part of the tradition set by Prophet Muhammad.
During the ceremony, a staircase is used to access the holy site of Muslims and the gatekeeper of the Kaaba opens the door.
Prince Badr, Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, head of the general presidency for the affairs of the two Holy Mosques, and the accompanying dignitaries washed the inside of the Kaaba using Zamzam water mixed with rose water, oud, and other perfumes.
Towels are used to wipe the walls of the Kaaba. The interior walls are cleansed with a white cloth dipped in rose and musk perfumes. Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume is splashed on the floor and is wiped with bare hands and palm leaves.
Usually, the whole process is completed within two hours. The inner walls of the Kaaba are three meters long and the inner surface of the roof is covered with green silk.
Saudi Arabia’s Al-Ekhbariya channel published a video clip that showed the “hanging lanterns” inside the Kaaba, along with another clip of the moment the door of the Kaaba was opened in preparation for washing it.
On Tuesday, the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque raised the lower part of the Kiswah, in line with the Prophet’s tradition.
The annual ritual of changing Kiswah (Ghilaf-e-Kaaba) at the Grand Mosque in Makkah takes place on Tuesday night, July 19, the first of Muharram, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year of 1445.
