Kaaba’s kiswa raised for 2024 Hajj season preparations

Dubai: The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has completed the annual tradition of raising the lower part of the kiswa, the ornate cover of the Holy Kaaba, by about three meters.

The ritual was performed on Wednesday, marking a preparatory step for the upcoming 2024 Hajj season.

The raised portion of the kiswa was shielded with a white cotton fabric, measuring two and a half meters in width and extending 54 meters across all four sides of the Kaaba.

The adjustment is a precautionary measure to protect the kiswa from being touched and potentially damaged by the millions of pilgrims who perform the tawaf, the act of circumambulating the Kaaba, during their sacred pilgrimage in Mecca.

The procedure involved 36 specialised Saudi technical personnel and the use of 10 cranes. The process includes several precise steps: unscrewing and separating the kiswa’s lower segments, untying and removing the bottom rope, rolling the fabric upwards, and then reinstalling the lanterns over the newly positioned white cloth.