Explained: The story of the Kiswah, sacred cloth that covers the Holy Kaaba in Mecca

The inaugural variation of the Biennale was held successful 2023. The 2nd edition, titled ‘And All That Is In Between’, volition proceed until May 25. It volition display, isolated from the Kiswah, “a singular postulation of humanities Islamic artifacts and modern artworks”, and volition “inspire visitors to contemplate the richness of Islamic civilisation and its originative arts”, says the release.

بعد يومين فقط، سيجتمع العالم في أكبر معرض للفنون الإسلامية!
لا تفوت هذا الحوار الفريد بين أصالة التراث وروح الإبداع في بينالي الفنون الإسلامية 2025.

انضم إلينا في صالة الحجاج الغربية بمدينة جدة، من 25 يناير إلى 25 مايو 2025.

احجزوا تذاكركم!https://t.co/JWhORSUQ6S… pic.twitter.com/5ZYXIPsZKq

— Diriyah Biennale Foundation (@Biennale_Sa) January 23, 2025

The Kiswah

The Kiswah, virtually “robe”, is the intricately-embroidered achromatic cloth that covers the Kaaba, the cubical chromatic operation astatine the centre of the Masjid al-Haram successful Mecca, the holiest tract successful Islam.

“The Kiswah and its unsocial inscriptions and ornamentations are considered to beryllium the highest signifier of originative accumulation successful Islamic arts,” the merchandise says.

“By exhibiting the Kiswah, the Biennale volition contiguous a unsocial show that introduces the artifact’s humanities improvement and its associated craftsmanship. It enables visitors to respect its intricate weaving and embroidery, featuring silk, gold, and metallic threads,” according to the release.

The Kiswah is changed each twelvemonth during a peculiar ceremony. The Kiswah that volition beryllium displayed astatine the Biennale is the 1 that adorned the Kaaba past year.

“The Kiswah show volition coincide with the archetypal Hijri centenary of the constitution of the Kiswah Factory of the Holy Kaaba (King Abdulaziz Complex) successful Saudi Arabia, which has had the honour of manufacturing the Kiswah since AH 1346 (1927),” the merchandise says.

At the decision of the Biennale successful May, the Kiswah volition instrumentality to the attraction of the Kiswah Factory of the Holy Kaaba (King Abdulaziz Complex), it says.

History of the Kiswah

The contented of draping the Kiswah astir the Kaaba is centuries old. The accounts of its origins vary, but according to a wide held view, the archetypal to screen it wholly was Tabu Karab Aswad, the king of Humayyur successful Yemen, successful the pre-Islamic era. After the conquest of Mecca successful 8 AH (629-630 CE), the Prophet covered the Kaaba with a Yemeni cloth.

According to a study (‘The Kiswa: The communicative down the covering of the beatified Kaaba’) published successful the Saudi regular Arab News successful 2020, “The accounts notation that successful the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet kept the aged Kiswa utilized successful the epoch of the polytheists and did not regenerate it until a pistillate burned it portion trying to scent it with incense. It was past covered with a Yemeni cloth. Muslim kings and sultans past continued to undertake covering the Kaaba and caring for it.”

The colours of the Kiswah person changed implicit the centuries. The Arab News study said: “The Prophet Muhammad covered it with white-and-red striped Yemeni cloth, and Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, Umar ibn Al-Khattab, and Uthman ibn Affan covered it with white. Ibn Al-Zubayr covered it with reddish brocade.”

Abu Bakr (632-34 CE), Umar (634-44), and Uthman (644-56) were the archetypal 3 Rashidun Caliphs. Ibn al-Zubayr was the person of Muslims successful Mecca during the 2nd fractional of the 7th century.

“During the Abbasid era, [the Kaaba] was draped erstwhile with achromatic and erstwhile successful red, portion the Seljuk Sultan covered it with yellowish brocade. The Abbasid Caliph Al-Nassir changed the Kiswa’s colour to greenish and aboriginal to achromatic brocade, and this has remained its colour to the contiguous day,” the Arab News study said.

The Abbasid Caliphate ruled from Kufa, Baghdad, and Samarra successful Iraq betwixt 750 CE and 1258 CE. The Turko-Persian Seljuk Empire reigned from 1037-1194 CE.

By the aboriginal 14th century, Egypt had go “the authoritative shaper of the Kiswa”, according to a 2017 study by the Cairo-based work Egypt Today.

“It was sent successful a venerable parade, carried by a immense camel, followed by different camels that transportation the h2o and the luggage of the pilgrims. They were accompanied by soldiers to support them passim their travel till they scope Mecca. The camel that carries the kiswa is called Nabeel, Arabic for Noble, and the adjacent 1 was called Mabrouk, Arabic for Blessed,” the report, titled ‘The Egyptian bequest of producing the Kiswa’, said.

Making of the Kiswah

Weighing much than 1,000 kg, the Kiswah of contiguous is made of silk, embroidered with golden and metallic thread. It comprises 4 sides and a doorway curtain, and takes astir a twelvemonth to produce. More than 100 workers are focussed solely connected its embroidery.

An August 2018 study by Al Arabiya quoted Ahmad bin Mohammed Al-Mansouri, the director-general of the King Abdul Aziz Complex for the Kaaba, arsenic saying the Kiswah “is made from astir 670 kg of earthy silk, which is dyed black, 120 kg of golden threads and 100 kg of metallic threads”, and “is covered with cotton-lined silk, portion the Quran verses are sewed with the golden and metallic threads”.

A July 2024 study by the Saudi Press Agency described the 10-stage process of the manufacture of the Kiswah:

“The manufacturing process…begins with the “sweetening” of h2o according to circumstantial standards for silk washing and dyeing. Next is the “dyeing” stage, wherever the protective wax furniture is removed and the silk is dyed achromatic for the outer covering and greenish for the interior covering and the Prophet’s Chamber. The silk is past dried successful specialized dryers.”

In the “laboratory” stage, samples are tested earlier and aft dyeing to guarantee the silk and metallic threads, and metallic threads coated with gold, conscionable approved standards. Automated weaving converts silk threads from hanks into spools.

While a jacquard silk weaving instrumentality creates the outer cover, plain silk cloth is besides produced to people and embroider Quranic verses. Later, pieces of plain silk cloth are attached to the woven fabric. This is followed by respective different stages.

Finally the Kiswah is assembled by bringing unneurotic its pieces, including the curtain and the adorned sections.

Replacing the Kiswah

“…The aged Kiswa [is] replaced annually connected the archetypal time of [the archetypal Muslim period of] Muharram. This process involves removing the designated Kiswa from each partition of the beatified Ka’aba individually, securing the 4 pieces unneurotic astatine the corners and beneath the Kaaba, and past installing the curtain of the Ka’aba door,” the Saudi Press Agency study said.

After it is removed, the aged Kiswah “is placed successful a authorities warehouse providing the capable method conservation to forestall immoderate chemic reactions oregon infiltration of bacteria successful damaging the fabric”, according to the Al Arabiya study mentioned earlier.

“Then, if requested by the higher authorities, it is distributed successful parts for museums oregon gifts,” the study said. In 1983, for example, a portion of the Kiswah was presented to the United Nations by Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to the UN, Shaikh Faisal al-Hujaylan.