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Thekiswah orkiswa (Arabic:كسوة الكعبة,romanized: kiswaht al-ka'bah) is the cloth that covers theKaaba inMecca,Saudi Arabia. It is draped annually, though the date of draping has changed over the years.[1] A procession traditionally accompanies thekiswah to Mecca, a tradition dating back to the 12th century. The termkiswah has multiple translations, with common ones being 'robe' or 'garment'. Due to the iconic designs and the quality of materials used in creating thekiswah, it is considered one of the most sacred objects in Islamic art, ritual, and worship.[2]
The annual practice of covering the Kaaba has pre-Islamic origins and was continued byMuhammad and his successors.[3] Historically, various types of cloth and textiles have been used as draping, but Egyptian producedkiswahs were popularized by early Islamic rulers.[4]
The tradition of covering the Kaaba predates the emergence of Islam, with various Yemeni textiles composing the draping.[3] According toIbn Hisham, KingTubba Abu Karib As'ad of theHimyarite Kingdom, who would later become a revered figure in Islamic traditions, clothed the Kaaba for the first time during the rule of theJurhum tribe of Mecca in the early fifth century CE after learning about it from two Jewish rabbis after his conversion to Judaism.[5][6] Tubba' later covered the Kaaba in a striped red woolen garment, layering it atop the already existing hangings. TheQuraysh (Arabic:قُرَيْشٌ), the ruling confederation of tribes in Mecca, later organized funding for thekiswah using annually collected payments from each of the tribes who worshipped there.[4]
Muhammad and the Muslims in Mecca did not participate in the draping of theKaaba until the conquest of the city at 630 AD (7 AH), as the ruling tribe, theQuraish, did not allow them to do so. When the Muslims took Mecca, they left the old hangings in place, with Muhammad adding his ownkiswah of Yemeni origin. Muhammad’s successors would continue the tradition of draping thekiswah, withUmar al-Khattab (Arabic:عمر بن الخطاب) being the first caliph to send an Egyptiankiswah made out of a white linen known asqubati (Arabic:قُبْطِيّ), a type of embroidered linen manufactured by Coptic Christians living in Egypt.[3]
The pre-Islamic hangings covering the Kaaba would remain until the rule ofUmayyad caliphMu'awiya (Arabic:معاوية بن أبي سفيان), who removed the old hangings after receiving complaints that they were religiously impure. A newkiswah was sent by Mu'awiya made out of silk,qubati, and striped wool.[3] Following the original replacement of the old hangings, the caliph sent twokiswahs annually, with one being made out ofqubati and the other silk; the silkkiswah is reported to have been draped over the former which would arrive in Mecca at least three months prior. Successive Umayyad caliphs would adhere to the precedent set by Mu'awiya and continue to supplykiswahs made either of Egyptian linen or silk and drape them over the coverings from previous years.[4] Much like their Umayyad predecessors, theAbbasids continued to rely on Egyptian factories for the production of thekiswah.[7] However, the Abbasid caliphAl-Mahdi would establish the precedent of annually removing and replacing the oldkiswah after realizing the accumulated weight from the oldkiswahs could structurally compromise the Kaaba following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 777 CE.[4]
From the time of theAyyubids, precisely during the reign ofas-Salih Ayyub, thekiswah was manufactured in Egypt, with material sourced locally as well as from Sudan, India, and Iraq.[8] TheAmir al-Hajj (commander of thehajj caravan), who was directly designated by the sultans of the Mamluk, and later, Ottoman Empires, transported thekiswah from Egypt to Mecca on an annual basis.[9]Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt ordered the expenses for making thekiswah to be met by his state treasury in the early 19th century. Since then,Dar Al-Khoronfosh, a workshop inCairo's Al-Gamaleya district, had been selected for the task of making thekiswah, and continued this role throughout the reign of the Egyptian monarchy. After the takeover of theHijaz region, and from 1927 onward, its manufacture was partially moved toMecca and then fully transferred in 1962, whenEgypt ceased production; the facility is now theKing Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa.[8]
The year 2024 was the first in recorded history during which women were involved in the ceremonial replacement of thekiswah. That year, women working for the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques were involved in carrying parts of the newkiswah and giving them to men, before the men took them to Mecca.[10]
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The procession of thekiswah and its journey to Mecca dates back to 1184 CE from an account byIbn Jubayr. According to Ibn Jubayr, thekiswah was brought to Mecca via camel from its place of creation along with an elaborate procession of drums and flags. Thekiswah was then placed on the roof of the Kaaba once it reached Mecca, still folded. On the 134th day of the month ofDhu al-Hijjah, theBanu Shayba completely unfolded the cloth to fully display the embroideries and their inscriptions.[11]
The tradition of thekiswah being accompanied by a covering called themahmal during the trip to Mecca is said to have started during the rule of QueenShajar al-Durr, however the practice was not widely accepted as tradition until the 15th century.[12] It is unclear whether themahmal carries thekiswah itself or simply accompanies the cloth to Mecca due to the lack of access to the processional covering;[12] however, it is said that in modern times themahmal carries the newkiswah to Mecca and then takes the oldkiswah to Cairo after the Hajj is completed.[13]
Today thekiswah's design features the colors black, gold, and silver. Black silk comprises the entirety of the garment, displaying large unaccented sections and providing background to the portions with inscriptions. The gold and silver comprise the inscriptions and accents that embellish the garment. Rendered in theThuluth calligraphy style, these characters overlap each other and protrude slightly from thekiswah itself. TheSura Ikhlas appears in circular medallions inscribed within squares at each of the four corners of thekiswah:Rukn al-Hajjar al-Aswad (Arabic:ركن الحجر الأسواد),Rukn al-'Iraqi (Arabic:الركن العراقي),Rukn al-Yamani (Arabic:الركن اليماني), andRukn ush-Shami (Arabic:الركن الشامي). These are beneath thehizam where longer Qur'anic verses appear. Artisans carefully interweave gold and silver wire to create these elements. Previous iterations have featured more colorful and varied design programs. However,kiswahs dating earlier than the Ottoman period are rare, due to both the natural process of decay and the now-defunct practice of cutting thekiswah and selling the pieces to pilgrims.
The textile covering of the Kaaba has multiple parts, including thehizam (Arabic:حزام) andsitara (Arabic:سِتَارَة) orburqu' (Arabic:برقع). The earliest known still-extantsitara was manufactured in Egypt and dates to 1544, and the earliest Ottomanhizam was made forSelim II in the late 16th century. The basic designs of thehizam andsitara have changed little over time, although the embroidery in gold and silver wire has become more ornate.[14] All inscriptions on thekiswah,hizam,sitara, and supplemental textiles use theThuluth (Arabic:ثُلُث) style of calligraphy. Between 1817 and 1927, thekiswah was manufactured at theDar al-Kiswah, a dedicated workshop inCairo, Egypt. In 1927 textile manufacturing moved to a workshop in Mecca.[15]
The termkiswah refers to the overall covering of the Kaaba. The fabric contains 670 kilograms (1,480 lb) of imported white silk thread that is then dyed black. Jacquard machines weave the black thread into either plain or patterned cloth equaling 47 pieces of cloth measuring 98 centimetres (39 in) by 14 metres (46 ft). The patterned cloth contains inscriptions taken from theShahada (Arabic:ٱلشَّهَادَةُ) incorporated into the fabric during the weaving process. Each panel of cloth is then stretched over a loom and templates of verses from theQuran and Islamic ornamental patterns are applied using silk screens. Embroidered decorative elements, Quranic verses, and prayers are hand-embroidered by Saudi artisans using gold and silver thread. The only stylistic requirement for the text and decorations is that it must be visible from a distance. Once the embroidery is applied the cloth is sewn together and a white cotton calico backing is applied for support. The finishedkiswah measures 658 square metres (7,080 sq ft) and costs 22 millionSAR to produce.
Two-thirds of the way up thekiswah is an embroidered band called thehizam. The band comprises 16 pieces of silk cloth with four pieces attached to each side of the Kaaba. Assembled, thehizam measures 47 metres (154 ft) in length and 95 centimetres (37 in) in width. The text on thehizam consists of Quranic verses embroidered with gold and silver thread. Under the belt at each corner of the Kaaba is an additional set of square panels of cloth called thekardashiyyat containing theSurah of Ikhlas (Arabic:الْإِخْلَاص).
Over the exterior door to the Kaaba is a cover called theburqu' orsitara. This panel is the most elaborately decorated portion of thekiswah. Thesitara has an average size of 7.75 by 3.5 metres (25.4 by 11.5 ft) and is assembled by sewing together four separate cloth panels. Each panel contains embroidered verses from the Quran and additional dedications.
Other textiles used in covering portions of the Kaaba include a curtain hung over theBab al-Tawba door in the interior of the Kaaba.[11] Also remade each year is the green silk bag which holds the key to the Kaaba, a tradition introduced in 1987.[15] Along with these textiles, the workshops send ropes for attaching thekiswah to the Kaaba, and spare silk in case thekiswah needs repair. Degradation and disfiguration caused by exposure to natural elements and popular rituals, such as the taking of a piece of thekiswah,[clarification needed] necessitate regular maintenance.[3]
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