Anyone who has seen the Ka’abah whether in pictures, videos or physically at the Grand Mosque (Haram) will note that the Ka’abah is always covered in a very distinguished cloth. This cloth is a black silk cloth with gold embroidered calligraphy which is replaced twice per year. Most of the web sites I visited state that the cloth is changed once per year but Makkah residents assure me it is indeed replaced twice per year. This cloth, locally refered to as the “thobe of the ka’abah’ is officially known as the kiswa.
The Kiswa is made at a factory located outside of Makkah between Makkah and Jeddah. This video further illustrates how the kiswa is made:
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/383672/
Filed under: culture, islam, religion, Saudi Arabia, Saudi customs, travel | Tagged: culture, customs, islam, Mecca, religion, Saudi Arabia, Saudi customs | 27 Comments »
