The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque changed and replaced the Kiswa of the Kaaba at dawn on Sunday, the first of Muharram 1446 AH, as is the custom every year.
The work was supervised by a team of 159 craftsmen who carried out the change process, distributed on the sides and surface of the Holy Kaaba according to their specialization. The team began by dismantling the old covering and installing the new one.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reviewed in a report today the installation of the new covering, which weighs 1,350 kilograms, is 14 meters high, and consists of four separate sides and a door curtain.
The Kiswa consumes about 1,000 kg of raw silk that was dyed black inside the complex, 120 kg of gold wires, and 100 kg of silver wires, while the number of pieces of the Kiswa belt of the Holy Kaaba is 16 pieces, in addition to seven pieces under the belt.
The Kiswa includes 17 lanterns containing manuscripts of the supplications “O Most Gracious, Most Merciful,” “Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds,” “O Ever-Living, O Self-Sustaining,” and “God is Greatest” below the belt, four manuscript verses of Surat Al-Ikhlas distributed on the four sides of the Kaaba, five ornaments decorating the Kaaba’s spout, the Black Stone, the Yemeni Corner, and an embroidered chain above the Yemeni Corner next to the outer curtain of the door of the Holy Kaaba.
After re-gilding the Kaaba, rings are installed to secure the Kaaba’s covering to the Shadhrawan marble. The rings number 60 gilded rings, with the aim of securing the covering in a consistent manner against various weather factors.
It is worth mentioning that approximately 200 Saudi craftsmen and administrators work in the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Kiswa of the Holy Kaaba, as the complex includes several departments: the dyeing and automatic weaving, hand weaving, printing, belting, gilding, sewing, and assembling the Kiswa, which includes the largest sewing machine in the world in terms of length, as it is 16 meters long, and operates with a computer system, in addition to some other supporting departments.
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