In preparation for the start of Hajj 2024, the authorities in Makkah, Saudi Arabia raised the Kiswa (Ghilaf-e-Kaaba).
The Kiswa, the cloth covering the Holy Kaaba, was raised by three meters and the lower part was covered with a white cotton cloth (Ihram) two meters wide on all four sides, an annual practice to help prevent damage to the Kaaba before the Hajj.
The ceremony was conducted by a team of specialists from the King Abdul Aziz Complex, responsible for maintaining the Kaaba.
Every year, the process of changing the new Kiswa will take place on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic calendar, but was moved to the first day of Muharram in 2022. The Kiswa, which is black, is made up of 670 kilograms of raw silk with verses from the Quran woven in gold-plated thread.
The verses are woven using 120kg of gold and 100kg of silver threads. The belt of the Kiswah is made up of six pieces.
