Dubai: The Kiswa of Ka’aba, Islam’s holiest shrine, is the most expensive cloth in the world.
Made from silver and gold-plated threads, the Kiswa costs SR 20 million, including the cost of raw materials, wages for those involved in making it and administration costs.
While the materials used to be sourced from Egypt and other nearby countries, the finest silk threads are now imported from Switzerland and Italy.
A new Kiswa is usually put up on the 9th or 10th day of Dhu Al Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar.
The top third of the cover — 14 metres high — is framed with verses from the Qu’ran and other Islamic decorations. Beneath this, there is a frame for the entrance to the Ka’aba, also made of pure silk. It is 7 metres high and 4 metres wide, and also contains Qu’ranic verses and other embroideries made from gold and silver thread.
The covering, made of black silk and embroidered with gold patterns, weighs 670kg and measures 658 square metres.
From the 12th century, the Kiswa was produced in Egypt using materials from around the Muslim world before being transported to Mecca. In 1927, manufacturing moved to Mecca and by 1962 it was being produced solely at the city’s Kiswa Al Kaaba factory.
The Kiswa is one of the most important ornaments in the House of God, and its production is made by some of the best calligraphers and artists in the Muslim world.
The Ka’aba is the black cuboid located in Al Masjid Al Haram in the holy city of Mecca. Directing oneself towards the shrine — an act known as Qiblah — is an obligatory aspect of prayer for all Muslims.
