Kiswah

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title: "Kiswah" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["kaaba", "islamic-architectural-elements", "textiles", "hajj-terminology"] description: "Cloth cover over the Kaaba in Mecca" topic_path: "society/religion" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiswah" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Cloth cover over the Kaaba in Mecca ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a8/The_Kabah_in_the_Grand_Mosque_of_Makkah,Saudi_Arabia(52501405646).jpg" caption="[[Kaaba]] in [[Makkah]] (Mecca)"] ::

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Gate_of_Kaaba.jpg" caption="Kiswah}} as pictured on February 22, 2024."] ::

The ar or ar () is the cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is draped annually, although the draping date has changed over the years. A procession traditionally accompanies the ar to Mecca, a tradition dating back to the 12th century. The term ar has multiple translations, including 'robe' and 'garment'. Due to the iconic designs and the quality of materials used in creating the ar, it is considered one of the most sacred objects in Islamic art, ritual, and worship.

The annual practice of covering the Kaaba has pre-Islamic origins and was continued by Muhammad and his successors. Historically, various types of cloth and textiles have been used as draping, but Egyptian produced ar were popularized by early Islamic rulers.

History

Pre-Islamic

The tradition of covering the Kaaba predates the emergence of Islam, with various Yemeni textiles composing the draping. According to Ibn Hisham, King Tubba Abu Karib As'ad of the Himyarite Kingdom, who would later become a revered figure in Islamic traditions, clothed the Kaaba for the first time during the rule of the Jurhum tribe of Mecca in the early fifth century CE after learning about it from two Jewish rabbis after his conversion to Judaism. Tubba' later covered the Kaaba in a striped red woolen garment, layering it atop the already existing hangings. The Quraysh (), the ruling confederation of tribes in Mecca, later organized funding for the ar using annually collected payments from each of the tribes who worshipped there.

Era of Muhammad

Muhammad and the Muslims in Mecca did not participate in the draping of the Kaaba until the conquest of the city at 630 AD (7 AH), as the ruling tribe, the Quraish, did not allow them to do so. When the Muslims took Mecca, they left the old hangings in place, with Muhammad adding his own ar of Yemeni origin. Muhammad’s successors would continue the tradition of draping the ar, with Umar al-Khattab () being the first caliph to send an Egyptian ar made out of a white linen known as ar (), a type of embroidered linen manufactured by Coptic Christians living in Egypt.

Umayyads and Abbasids

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Egypt,Abbasid_period-Tiraz_with_animated_band-1982.90-_Cleveland_Museum_of_Art.tif" caption="kiswah}}."] ::

The pre-Islamic hangings covering the Kaaba would remain until the rule of Umayyad caliph Mu'awiya (), who removed the old hangings after receiving complaints that they were religiously impure. A new ar was sent by Mu'awiya made out of silk, ar, and striped wool. Following the original replacement of the old hangings, the caliph sent two ar annually, with one being made out of ar and the other silk; the silk ar 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 supply ar made either of Egyptian linen or silk and drape them over the coverings from previous years. Much like their Umayyad predecessors, the Abbasids continued to rely on Egyptian factories for the production of the ar. However, the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi would establish the precedent of annually removing and replacing the old ar after realizing the accumulated weight from the old ar could structurally compromise the Kaaba following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 777 CE.

Location of manufacture

From the time of the Ayyubids, precisely during the reign of as-Salih Ayyub, the ar was manufactured in Egypt, with material sourced locally as well as from Sudan, India, and Iraq. The Amir al-Hajj (commander of the ar caravan), who was directly designated by the sultans of the Mamluk, and later, Ottoman Empires, transported the ar from Egypt to Mecca on an annual basis. Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt ordered the expenses for making the ar to be met by his state treasury in the early 19th century. Since then, Dar Al-Khoronfosh, a workshop in Cairo's Al-Gamaleya district, had been selected for the task of making the ar, and continued this role throughout the reign of the Egyptian monarchy. After the takeover of the Hijaz region, and from 1927 onward, its manufacture was partially moved to Mecca and then fully transferred in 1962, when Egypt ceased production; the facility is now the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa.

Women

The year 2024 was the first in recorded history during which women were involved in the ceremonial replacement of the ar. That year, women working for the General Authority for the Care of the Two Holy Mosques were involved in carrying parts of the new ar and giving them to men, before the men took them to Mecca.

Historic procession

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e7/Kaaba_(1910)-2.jpg" caption="kiswah}} covering the [[Kaaba]] in [[Mecca"] ::

The procession of the ar and its journey to Mecca dates back to 1184 CE from an account by Ibn Jubayr. According to Ibn Jubayr, the ar was brought to Mecca via camel from its place of creation along with an elaborate procession of drums and flags. The ar was then placed on the roof of the Kaaba once it reached Mecca, still folded. On the 134th day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, the Banu Shayba completely unfolded the cloth to fully display the embroideries and their inscriptions.

The tradition of the ar being accompanied by a covering called the ar during the trip to Mecca is said to have started during the rule of Queen Shajar al-Durr, however the practice was not widely accepted as tradition until the 15th century. It is unclear whether the ar carries the ar itself or simply accompanies the cloth to Mecca due to the lack of access to the processional covering; however, it is said that in modern times the ar carries the new ar to Mecca and then takes the old ar to Cairo after the Hajj is completed.

Design and textiles

Design

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/تطريز_كسوة_الكعبة_بالأسلاك_الفضية_والذهبية.JPG" caption="An artisan embroidering cloth with gold thread."] ::

Today the ar'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 the Thuluth calligraphy style, these characters overlap each other and protrude slightly from the ar itself. The ar appears in circular medallions inscribed within squares at each of the four corners of the ar: ar (), ar (), ar (), and ar (). These are beneath the ar 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, ar dating earlier than the Ottoman period are rare, due to both the natural process of decay and the now-defunct practice of cutting the ar and selling the pieces to pilgrims.

Textiles

The textile covering of the Kaaba has multiple parts, including the ar () and ar () or ar (). The earliest known still-extant ar was manufactured in Egypt and dates to 1544, and the earliest Ottoman ar was made for Selim II in the late 16th century. The basic designs of the ar and ar have changed little over time, although the embroidery in gold and silver wire has become more ornate. All inscriptions on the ar, ar, ar, and supplemental textiles use the Thuluth () style of calligraphy. Between 1817 and 1927, the ar was manufactured at the Dar al-Kiswah, a dedicated workshop in Cairo, Egypt. In 1927 textile manufacturing moved to a workshop in Mecca.

{{transliteration|ar|Kiswah}}

The term ar refers to the overall covering of the Kaaba. The fabric contains 670 kg 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 cm by 14 m. The patterned cloth contains inscriptions taken from the Shahada () incorporated into the fabric during the weaving process. Each panel of cloth is then stretched over a loom and templates of verses from the Quran 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 finished ar measures 658 m2 and costs 22million SAR to produce.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/64/Khalili_Collection_Hajj_Kabah_curtain.jpg" caption="Sitara]] for the door of the Kaaba, made in [[Cairo]], 1606 CE ([[Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage]])"] ::

{{transliteration|ar|Hizam}}

Two-thirds of the way up the ar is an embroidered band called the ar. The band comprises 16 pieces of silk cloth with four pieces attached to each side of the Kaaba. Assembled, the ar measures 47 m in length and 95 cm in width. The text on the ar 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 the ar containing the Surah of Ikhlas ().[[File:Khalili_Collection_Hajj_and_Arts_of_Pilgrimage_txt_0251pan.jpg|center|thumb|upright=1.4|Section from the ar; late 19th century, Cairo, Egypt. Text contains the ar, followed by verses 26 and 27 from ar]]

{{transliteration|ar|Sitara}}

Over the exterior door to the Kaaba is a cover called the ar or ar. This panel is the most elaborately decorated portion of the ar. The ar has an average size of 7.75 by 3.5 m and is assembled by sewing together four separate cloth panels. Each panel contains embroidered verses from the Quran and additional dedications.

Additional textiles

Other textiles used in covering portions of the Kaaba include a curtain hung over the ar door in the interior of the Kaaba. Also remade each year is the green silk bag which holds the key to the Kaaba, a tradition introduced in 1987. Along with these textiles, the workshops send ropes for attaching the ar to the Kaaba, and spare silk in case the ar needs repair. Degradation and disfiguration caused by exposure to natural elements and popular rituals, such as the taking of a piece of the ar, necessitate regular maintenance.

References

References

1. (2022-07-08). "How the manufacturing of the Kaaba cover, kiswa, changed over the centuries".
2. (2017-12-01). "The Sacred and the Modern: The History, Conservation, and Science of the Madina Sitara". Metropolitan Museum Journal.
3. McGregor, Richard J. A.. (2020). "Islam and the devotional object : seeing religion in Egypt and Syria". Cambridge University Press.
4. Mortel, Richard. (1988). "The Kiswa: Its Origins and Development from Pre-Islamic Times until the End of the Mamluk Period". Al-'Usûr.
5. Ibn Hishām, ʻAbd al-Malik. (1955). "The life of Muhammad;". Oxford University Press.
6. link
7. Nassar, Nahla. (2013). "The Hajj. Collected Essays". The British Museum.
8. "Saudi Aramco World: A Gift from the Kingdom".
9. Dunn, Robert. (1986). "The Adventures of Ibn Battuta, a Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century". University of California Press.
10. "Women participate in replacing Kaaba's kiswa for first time in history".
11. (2012). "Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam". Harvard University Press.
12. Robinson, Arthur E.. (1931). "The Mahmal of the Moslem Pilgrimage". Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland.
13. (2019-08-01). "When the Kaaba's Kiswa came from Egypt".
14. Porter, Venetia. (2012). "Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam". The British Museum.
15. Ghazal, Rym. (28 August 2014). "Woven with devotion: the sacred Islamic textiles of the Kaaba".

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