The covering cloth of the Holy Kaaba, Kiswa, as the fabric is called in Arabic, was replaced in an intricate ceremony at the Grand Mosque of Makkah last night, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
Usually, the ornate cover is changed in an event that takes place during the Hajj pilgrimage every year, but this time it was changed in an intricate ceremony after Saudi Arabia marked the beginning of the new Islamic year, 1445 Hijri.
The gold-laced black cloth that shrouds the Holy Kaaba is hand-made with great effort and love by thousands of workers.
As per the media outlet, this year Kiswa is made of 850 kilograms of dyed raw silk, which is embroidered with additional 120 kilograms of gold and 100 kilograms of silver wires. The intricate embroidery work for the covering takes six to eight months, while the entire production process spans a year.
Touching or having a piece of Kiswa is considered of great honour and blessing among Muslims, and many across the globe receive a piece of the retired cover of Kaaba.
Pilgrims from across the globe can partake in its production by making stitches in the magnificent embroidery that features verses from the Holy Quran.
However, there came a year in Pakistan's history when the nation had the honour to prepare the holy cover of the Kaaba at home.
As per a report by a local media outlet Urdu News, a Saudi delegation visited different workshops in Pakistan in 1962 and assigned Karachi's Waheed-ud-Din Ansari with the sacred task.
Ansari was the owner of a fabric store in the Saddar area, which sold silk cloth.
The Saudi authorities had ordered the silk-house to prepare a sample first, which Shah Saud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the then-Saudi monarch liked so much that he entrusted Ansari and his team with the production of Kiswa. However, the fabric was sent from Saudi Arabia
Ansari's son Rizwanullah told Urdu News that 34 workers were employed for the task, who prepared the Kiswa in three months under Ansari's supervision.
As per the report, the then-Pakistani president General Ayub Khan also participated in the holy work.
Before being sent back to Saudi Arabia, the Kiswa was displayed to thousands of people at Polo Ground, Karachi.
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