What’s inside the Kaaba and what covers it? The story of the Kiswah
Key takeaways
- At the heart of Hajj stands the Kaaba, draped in 670kg of silk and embroidered with 200kg of gold and silver thread.
- As part of the five-day rituals, pilgrims visit the Kaaba, encircling it counterclockwise several times.
- The Kaaba is draped in a black cloth called the Kiswah, which is embroidered in gold with Arabic Quranic verses.
Why this matters: an international story with cross-border implications worth tracking.
At the heart of Hajj stands the Kaaba, draped in 670kg of silk and embroidered with 200kg of gold and silver thread.
xwhatsapp-strokecopylinkgoogle Add Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Saudi workers embroider Islamic calligraphy using either pure silver threads or silver threads plated with gold, at the Kiswa factory in Mecca, Wednesday, July 6, 2022 [Amr Nabil/AP Photo]By Alma Milisic and AJLabs Published On 25 May 202625 May 2026The first day of Hajj has begun, with more than 1.5 million Muslims from around the world making the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia – a once-in-a-lifetime journey for many.
As part of the five-day rituals, pilgrims visit the Kaaba, encircling it counterclockwise several times.