Riyadh - The Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure honoured by Muslims as the house of God, will be covered soon with a new 670-kilo black silk blanket as part of the annual preparations of the holy Muslim Hajj (pilgrimage), reports said Thursday. The Kaaba cover, referred to as a "kiswa" in Arabic, is made of black silk and adorned with phrases in praise of God ornamented with 150 kilos of gold and silver thread.
The 14-metre-long cloth has a gilded 95-centimetre belt along the top containing verses from the Koran in Arabic calligraphy within an arabesque frame.
Costing about 5.36 million dollars, the kiswa took a whole year to produce in a specialized factory.
Every year the old kiswa is removed, cut into small pieces and gifted to certain individuals, visiting foreign Muslim dignitaries and organizations.
The area around the Kaaba is considered sacred, as moving around the Kaaba is an integral part of the ritual of the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj).
About 1.4 million pilgrims from all over the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia since Monday, consuming more than 42 million loaves of bread and almost 3 million litres of water from the revealed Zamzam well near the Kaaba.
The Hajj officially starts on December 19.
The 14-metre-long cloth has a gilded 95-centimetre belt along the top containing verses from the Koran in Arabic calligraphy within an arabesque frame.
Costing about 5.36 million dollars, the kiswa took a whole year to produce in a specialized factory.
Every year the old kiswa is removed, cut into small pieces and gifted to certain individuals, visiting foreign Muslim dignitaries and organizations.
The area around the Kaaba is considered sacred, as moving around the Kaaba is an integral part of the ritual of the pilgrimage to Mecca (the Hajj).
About 1.4 million pilgrims from all over the world have arrived in Saudi Arabia since Monday, consuming more than 42 million loaves of bread and almost 3 million litres of water from the revealed Zamzam well near the Kaaba.
The Hajj officially starts on December 19.
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