For the first time in recent decades, the Ghilaf-e-Kaaba was replaced in the month of Muharram.
The annual ritual of changing Kiswah was held on the first day of Muharram, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year of 1444, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
It is usually draped annually on Dhu al-Hijjah 9, the day pilgrims leave for the plains of Mount Arafat while performing the Hajj.
The new Kiswah was installed by a team of about 200 specialized workers and officials.
The term Kiswah 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 98cm by 14m. The outer layer of the Kiswah consists of 670kg of pure silk. The lining on the inside is strong cotton lining, which helps keep the silk on top.
A golden thread adorns the black silk, inscribed with Qur’anic verses and phrases such as “There is no god but Allah” and “Glory be to Allah.”
The Kiswah also has a portion of the strap that wraps around to hold it in place. Measuring 46m in length and 95cm in width, it is made of 16 pieces and is also embroidered with Qur’anic verses.
The Kiswah includes a curtain for the door of the Kaaba. The embroidered curtain on the door of the Kaaba was put on the Kaaba gate in lunar years 1300-1396.
The Kiswah was produced in Egypt, but in 1345 (1927 C.E.), King Abdulaziz ordered that the Kiswah be produced in Mecca.
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