Follow Annual Traditions, Saudi Arabia Changes The Kiswah Of The Kaaba
JAKARTA - The Authority for the Management and Maintenance of the Grand Mosque of the Grand Mosque of Haram and the Prophet's Mosque today adorns the qibla of Muslims, the Kaaba, with a new covering of Kiswah according to the country's annual tradition.A team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba consisting of 159 craftsmen was appointed to carry out the replacement of the Kiswah.The team was deployed around the sides and roofs of the Kaaba according to their respective skills, starting from dismantling the old Kiswah and installing new ones, then repairing them in corners and on the roof of the Kaaba.The installed Kiswah, weighing 1,350 kilograms and 14 meters high, consists of four separate sides and a curtain. On each side of the Kaaba, Kiswah is lifted individually to the top of the Kaaba in preparation for unfurling it on the old cover.The side was repaired at the top by tying it up, and the other end was lowered after the old Kiswah rope was removed.The new side is moved up and down in a constant motion, followed by lowering the old Kiswah from below, leaving a new side in place.This process was repeated four times for each side until Kiswah was completed. Finally, the belt is aligned in a straight line along the four sides and sewn in its place.After securing all sides, the corners were sewn from the top of Kiswah to the bottom. After finishing, the curtain is installed, which takes time and accuracy.Each piece is made on a black cloth to match the size of the curtain, with a width of about 3.33 meters and a length of about 6.35 meters.Then, three openings were made in black cloth to put up the curtain from below. Finally, the edges were sewn into black cloth in Kiswah.Kiswah requires about 1,000 kilograms of raw cloth covered in black, refined with 120 kilograms of gold thread, and 100 kilograms of silver thread. The Kiswah belt, consisting of 16 pieces of cloth, along with seven other pieces under the belt.The King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswah employed around 200 craftsmen and administrators, all of whom were trained, qualified, and skilled citizens.The team includes several departments: automatic immersion and weaving, hand weaving, printing, making belts, fulfilling, sewing, and assembly of Kiswah.The team has the world's largest sewing machine in terms of length, which is 16 meters, and operates on a computerized system.
In addition, there are other supporting departments such as laboratories, administrative services, quality controllers, community relations, health services for workers, and work safety.