New Kaaba cloth handed to eldest guardian
2009/11/19
MECCA: The new kiswa (black cloth which covers the Kaaba) was presented to its eldest guardian at a special ceremony yesterday evening, Saudi Arabian English daily Aran News reported today.
The US$4.5 million (US$1 = RM3.38) pure silk weighs 670kg, and 150kg of gold and silver has been used to engrave Qur’anic verses on the cloth.
Its size measures 658 square metres and comprises 47 pieces, each 14 metres long and 95cm wide, the newspaper reported.
The report said, Chairman of the Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques Sheikh Saleh ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Hussain handed over the garment to Sheikh Abdul Aziz ibn Abdullah Al-Shaibi at the kiswa factory in Mecca.
The kiswa factory was built in Mecca, 74 years ago, by King Abdul Aziz and since then, the cloth has been made every year by Saudis working in the factory.
According to the report, a small bag made of green velvet with gold and silver engravings containing the key to the Kaaba, was also given to Sheikh Abdul Aziz.
- Bernama
