Riyadh: The annual ritual of changing Kiswah (Ghilaf-e-Kaaba) will take place on the Dhul-Hijjah 29, corresponding to Tuesday, July 18, after the Isha prayer to coincide with the beginning of the new Islamic year 1445 AH.
About 200 technicians and craftsmen will take part in the annual custom under the supervision of the head of the presidency Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais.
In the Islamic calendar, the installation of the new Kiswah is an important event
The Kaaba is draped in a new Kiswah every year due to the sanctity of the building. Various charities around the world receive the old Kiswah.
Every year, the process of changing the new Kiswah will take place on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah but was moved to the first day of Muharram in 2022.
About Kiswah
The term Kiswah in Arabic means clothing made for covering the body, but it is also used as a term for the silk covering of the Kaaba.
The Kiswah has seen regular changes through the ages. It was covered once in red, once in white, once in green and at present in black brocade.
The 14m tall garment is made from high-quality silk and features holy verses of the Quran weaved into its pattern with gold and silver threads. It covers an area of about 658 sqm and requires about 137 workers and eight months of hard work for its completion. The cover weighs about 670 kg and uses 15 kg of gold threads.
In the upper third of it, there is a belt 95 centimetres wide and 47 metres long. Under the belt, there are Qur’anic verses written, each of them within a separate frame, and in the intervals between them there is a shape of a lamp on which is written “O live, O Qayyum,” “Oh, Most Merciful, O Most Merciful.” “Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds.”
The Kiswah also has a portion of the strap that wraps around it to hold it in place. Measuring 46 meters in length and 95 cm in width, it is made of 16 pieces and is also embroidered with Quranic verses.
The Kiswah includes a curtain for the door of the Kaaba. The embroidered curtain on the door of the Kaaba was put on the Kaaba gate in 1300-1396 (819 Hijri calendar).
The Kiswah was produced in Egypt, but in 1927 King Abdulaziz ordered that the Kiswah be produced in Makkah.
Since 1958 the Kiswah has been manufactured in Makkah Al Mukarramah.
A million riyals approximately have been spent on the preparation of the Ghilaf-e-Kaaba by dozens of weaving experts at a special factory exclusively devoted to the manufacture of the Kiswah.
The sewing section includes the longest sewing machine in the world with a length of 16 meters and is powered by a computer system.
