Skilled Saudi Youth Weave Holy Kaaba's Kiswa From Silk, Gold, And Silver

A skilled group of youth meticulously crafts the cover "Kiswa" of the holy Kaaba using silk, silver, and gold threads. The process involves several stages to ensure precision and quality. Initially, water is "sweetened" to meet specific standards for washing and dyeing the silk. This is followed by the "dyeing" stage, where a protective wax layer is removed, and the silk is dyed black for the outer covering and green for the inner covering and the Prophet’s Chamber.

The quality control stage ensures all inputs and outputs adhere to established standards throughout production. Random samples are tested before and after dyeing during the "laboratory" stage to ensure that silk and silver threads, including those coated with gold, meet approved standards. This meticulous testing guarantees that only high-quality materials are used in crafting the Kiswa.

In the fourth stage, automated weaving converts silk threads from hanks into spools containing over 9,900 threads per meter. These spools are then mounted in a jacquard silk weaving machine to create the outer cover of the holy Kaaba. Another weaving machine produces plain silk fabric for printing and embroidering Quranic verses.

The fifth phase involves affixing pieces of plain silk fabric to woven fabric, followed by printing Quranic verses using silk screen printing. This covers the belt of the holy Kaaba and areas below it with verses, lamps, inscriptions, and the curtain of the Kaaba's door. In the sixth manual stage, cotton threads are prepared to stuff Quranic verses and Islamic decorations using silver wires coated with gold.

During the seventh stage known as the "belt" stage, Quranic verses and Islamic decorations are embroidered with silver wires coated with gold. These are then secured onto silk fabric using cotton threads. The eighth stage focuses on quality control to ensure adherence to established standards for all inputs and outputs throughout production stages.

Final Assembly and Dressing

In the ninth stage, pieces that cover the holy Kaaba are gathered and connected. This includes assembling curtain pieces of the Kaaba door and attaching adorned sections from the Kaaba's belt downwards among other parts. Finally, on Sunday, 159 craftsmen will change the Kiswa following an annual tradition observed every Hijri year.

This ritual involves removing each wall's designated Kiswa individually from the holy Kaaba. The four pieces are secured together at corners beneath it before installing its door curtain. The old Kiswa is replaced annually on Muharram's first day.

The manufacturing process concludes with dressing the holy Kaaba in its new Kiswa. This intricate procedure reflects dedication to maintaining this sacred tradition with utmost care.

With inputs from SPA