Dubai: Saudi Arabia has adorned the holy Kaaba with a new cover, making it the first time in the Kingdom’s history to replace the Kiswa on Muharram 1, instead of the 9th day of Dhu Al Hijjah (Day of Arafat), Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. The replacement was carried out by a team of 166 technicians and craftsmen from King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa, as the team began to dismantle the old Kiswa with the new one.
The holy Kaaba’s Kiswa consumes about 850 kg of raw silk, which was dyed black inside the complex, 120 kg of gold wire, and 100 silver wires.
The new Kiswa consists of four separate sides and the door curtain. The four sides of the holy Kaaba were hoisted individually to the top of the Kaaba before unfolding on the old side. The sacred Kaaba’s Kiswa belt is made up of 16 pieces in total, with six additional pieces and 12 lamps at the bottom.
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has stated that a team of 166 technicians and craftsmen has handled the replacement process.
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.
The top third of the cover — 14 metres high — is framed with verses from the Holy 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.
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.
