Makkah   -   A new cover — known as ‘Kiswa’ — was installed at the Kaaba by the General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque on Sunday, reported a private TV channel.

To ensure everything was done to perfection, a team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa, consisting of 159 craftsmen, carried out the replacement at the Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The team, distributed around the sides and roof of the holy Kaaba according to their specialisations, began by dismantling the old Kiswa and installing the new one, then fixing it at the corners and on the roof of the Kaaba. The Kiswa, weighing 1,350 kilograms and reaching a height of 14 meters, comprises four separate panels and a door curtain. Each side of the holy Kaaba was individually raised to the top of the Kaaba in preparation for unfolding it over the old covering.

The side was secured at the top by tying it, then lowered once the ropes of the old Kiswa were untied. The new side was raised and lowered in a continuous motion while the old Kiswa was lowered from the bottom, positioning the new side in place.

This process was repeated for each of the four sides until the Kiswa’s installation was finished. Finally, the belt was aligned straight along all four sides and sewn into place. After securing all the sides, the corners were sewn from the top of the Kiswa to the bottom, the SPA reported.

Once this was completed, the curtain was put in place, which required time and precision. A cut was made in the black fabric to match the size of the curtain, approximately 3.33 metres wide and 6.35 metres long.

Then, three openings were made in the black fabric to attach the curtain from underneath. Finally, the edges were sewn into the black fabric on the Kiswa. The Kiswa consumes approximately 1,000 kilograms of raw silk, dyed black within the complex, 120 kilograms of gold threads, and 100 kilograms of silver threads.

As for the Kiswa’s belt, it consists of 16 pieces, along with seven pieces below the belt.