MAKKAH: The Holy Kaaba in Makkah was given a new kiswa, or covering, on Monday morning, a tradition that takes place on Dul Hijjah 9 every year.
Officials from the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs took down the old kiswa and replaced it with a new one, which is made from pure silk at Makkah’s Kiswa Factory.
The ceremony was attended by representatives from the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques and the Kiswa Factory. The changing of the kiswa is done in a particular way with the new kiswa hung over the old one from the top and then the old one removed from underneath.
The Kiswa Factory was built in Makkah about 74 years ago by the Kingdom’s founder King Abdul Aziz. A new kiswa is made every year by Saudis who work at the factory.
The black kiswa is made with 670 kg of pure silk, and 150 kg of gold and silver thread that is used for sewing the Qur’anic verses. It is 658 square meters in size and consists of 47 pieces, each 14 meters long and 95 cm wide. It costs about SR16.8 million ($4.5 million) – Arabnews
