SOHAIL IQBAL BHATTI
Mecca: Holy Kaaba’s cover ‘Kiswa’ is prepared in King Abdul Aziz Complex and it is ready to be draped around the Kaaba on the first of the month of Muharram-ul-Haram in the Grand Mosque in Makkah al-Mukarramah.
In a tradition dating back centuries, a new black curtain, or Kiswa, is draped around the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah once a year and still a 23 years old attractive Ghilaf-e-Kaaba, a black curtain, or Kiswa, is still available in original form with King Abdul Aziz Complex Manufacturing Company. Every year, total 25 million Saudi riayal cost registers on the preparation of Kiswa, which is made of 700-kilogram high-quality silk, with verses of the Qur’an woven into it in the form of 120 KG gold and 100KG silver thread running across the Kaaba’s belt. Saudi citizens take part in the preparation of Kiswa while Bengali citizens work as calligrapher is to be draped on 1st of the month of Muharram-ul-Haram in the Grand Mosque in Makkah al-Mukarramah. Similarly, the Bangladeshi calligrapher who work as calligrapher have been granted citizenship of Saudi Arabia under a royal decree, these details were shared by the hosts of King Abdul Aziz Complex Manufacturing Company with members of international media team during a briefing.
Faisal Madni, Director, Sheikh Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, Fahim Al-Hamid while briefing the media said that Kiswa is waterproof and weather change does not affect the curtain of Kaaba.
The hosts of King Abdul Aziz Complex Manufacturing Company accompanied the media-persons during their visit to different sites of the Kiswa’s manufacturing sites while the media-persons also watched a documentary which showed every phase of Kiswa’s preparation during their visits to this manufacturing company and a gift of Quran Sharif was also given to them by the hosts.
It is relevant to tell that electric train is operationalized to take the pilgrims to the Arafat mount and for this around sixteen trains are ready for this service while each train has the capacity to carry three thousands pilgrims and 72000 pilgrims were taken to Arafat hill on Thursday.
