01:09Mandatory Credit: Al Ekhbariya TV
A new Kiswa (covering) was placed on the holy Kaaba in Mecca on Sunday by the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques, marking the first day of the Islamic New Year (1 Muharram, 1446h).
Footage captures the annual Kiswa procession as it passes among the visitors to the Holy Kaaba. It also shows the process of raising the new Kiswa to the top of the Kaaba, ready to be unfolded over the old cover before it is removed.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that a team of 159 craftsmen oversaw the completion of the work, each assigned to different sides and surfaces of the Holy Kaaba according to their speciality.
The Kiswa is said to consume around 1000 kilograms of raw silk, which is dyed black inside the complex, and 120 kilograms of gold wire.
The Kiswa, which weighs 1350 kilograms and is 14 metres high, consists of four separate sides and a door curtain and is decorated on the outside with woven patterns of black fabric threads bearing repeated inscriptions such as 'Ya Allah, Ya Allah' and 'There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', among others.
This annual event is a celebration of the craftsmanship and religious significance of Islam's holiest site.
New Kiswa adorns Mecca's holly Kaaba as Islamic New Year begins
A new Kiswa (covering) was placed on the holy Kaaba in Mecca on Sunday by the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques, marking the first day of the Islamic New Year (1 Muharram, 1446h).
Footage captures the annual Kiswa procession as it passes among the visitors to the Holy Kaaba. It also shows the process of raising the new Kiswa to the top of the Kaaba, ready to be unfolded over the old cover before it is removed.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that a team of 159 craftsmen oversaw the completion of the work, each assigned to different sides and surfaces of the Holy Kaaba according to their speciality.
The Kiswa is said to consume around 1000 kilograms of raw silk, which is dyed black inside the complex, and 120 kilograms of gold wire.
The Kiswa, which weighs 1350 kilograms and is 14 metres high, consists of four separate sides and a door curtain and is decorated on the outside with woven patterns of black fabric threads bearing repeated inscriptions such as 'Ya Allah, Ya Allah' and 'There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', among others.
This annual event is a celebration of the craftsmanship and religious significance of Islam's holiest site.
Mandatory Credit: Al Ekhbariya TV
A new Kiswa (covering) was placed on the holy Kaaba in Mecca on Sunday by the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques, marking the first day of the Islamic New Year (1 Muharram, 1446h).
Footage captures the annual Kiswa procession as it passes among the visitors to the Holy Kaaba. It also shows the process of raising the new Kiswa to the top of the Kaaba, ready to be unfolded over the old cover before it is removed.
The Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported that a team of 159 craftsmen oversaw the completion of the work, each assigned to different sides and surfaces of the Holy Kaaba according to their speciality.
The Kiswa is said to consume around 1000 kilograms of raw silk, which is dyed black inside the complex, and 120 kilograms of gold wire.
The Kiswa, which weighs 1350 kilograms and is 14 metres high, consists of four separate sides and a door curtain and is decorated on the outside with woven patterns of black fabric threads bearing repeated inscriptions such as 'Ya Allah, Ya Allah' and 'There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah', among others.
This annual event is a celebration of the craftsmanship and religious significance of Islam's holiest site.