The Kiswa, the black cloth covering the Holy Kaaba, was replaced on Tuesday during the annual ceremony at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, marking the beginning of the Islamic New Year 1448 AH on the first of Muharram.
The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque supervised the ritual under the leadership of Sheikh Dr. Abdul Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais. A specialized team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa carried out the replacement through a carefully coordinated ten-step process.
Technicians first removed the old Kiswa before installing the new covering. They lifted each side of the Holy Kaaba separately, secured the new cloth from the top, and gradually lowered the old fabric until all four sides had been replaced. Afterwards, they carefully sewed the belt and secured the sides, corners and roof of the Kiswa.
The team then installed the Kaaba’s curtain, a task requiring exceptional precision and craftsmanship. The curtain measures approximately 3.33 metres in width and 6.35 metres in length.
The new Kiswa features 53 gilded embroidered pieces. These include 16 belt sections, seven decorative panels beneath the belt, four pendants, 17 lantern motifs, five pieces for the door curtain, one piece for the Yemeni Corner, two kinars and one gutter ornament.
Preparations began on Monday night with the removal of the previous Kiswa’s gold-embroidered decorations, lamps and the Kaaba door curtain, following the annual tradition.
The Kiswa is produced using 825 kilograms of natural silk, 47 rolls of black silk, 400 kilograms of raw cotton, 60 kilograms of pure silver and 120 kilograms of gold-plated silver. Skilled Saudi craftsmen embroider Quranic verses and Islamic motifs with gold and silver threads before assembling the completed Kiswa for installation on the Holy Kaaba.
