Makkah: The
Holy Kaaba was adorned with a new Kiswa (cover) on Tuesday, the first day of
Muharram 1448 AH, in an annual ceremony reflecting Saudi Arabia's care for
Islam's holiest shrine. The new cover was crafted by 150 Saudi artisans over 11
months at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa.
The
Kiswa weighs 1,410 kilograms and consists of 47 pieces of luxurious black silk
embroidered with 30 Qur'anic verses in silver thread plated with 24-karat gold.
The production process involved 825 kilograms of natural silk, 400 kilograms of
raw cotton for the inner lining, 60 kilograms of pure silver, and 120 kilograms
of gold-plated silver for embroidery. The process went through seven stages:
desalinating water, washing the silk, weaving, printing, embroidery, assembly,
and inspection.
The Kiswa features Qur'anic verses in Thuluth Jali script, reflecting one of the most refined traditions of Islamic visual culture. Inside the Kaaba, the walls are draped with green fabric embroidered with Qur'anic verses and supplications in Thuluth calligraphy. Minister of Hajj and Umrah Tawfiq Al-Rabiah witnessed the ceremony, which included the removal of gold-embroidered ornaments, decorative elements, and the lowering of the Kaaba's door curtain.
