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The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of 's most important and holiest site, the in , Saudi Arabia.

(2025). 9789773411275 .
It is considered by to be the Baytullah () and determines the () for Muslims around the world.

In early Islam, Muslims faced in the general direction of in as the qibla in their prayers before changing the direction to face the Kaaba, believed by Muslims to be a result of a verse revelation to .

According to Islam, the Kaaba was rebuilt several times throughout history, most famously by Ibrahim and his son Ismail, when he returned to the valley of Mecca several years after leaving his wife Hajar and Ismail there upon Allah's command. The current structure was built after the original building was damaged by a fire during the siege of Mecca by the Umayyads in 683 . Circling the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise, known as (), is a rite for the completion of the and pilgrimages. The area around the Kaaba where pilgrims walk is called the Mataaf.

The Kaaba and the Mataaf are surrounded by pilgrims every day of the , except the 9th of , known as the Day of Arafah, on which the cloth covering the structure, known as the (), is changed. However, the most significant increase in their numbers is during and the Hajj, when millions of pilgrims gather for Tawaf. According to the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah, 6,791,100 external pilgrims arrived for the Umrah in .


Etymology
In Arabic, the literal meaning of the word Ka'bah () is cube. Therefore, the most popular etymology has been that the Kaaba was named after its kaʿb form. Some have questioned that the cubic sense of kaʿb is pre-Islamic, seeking etymologies elsewhere. One disputed hypothesis suggests that the name "Kaaba" is related to the southern or word " mikrab", signifying a temple. Another relates it to Kʿbt, which is related to the Kaaba of Najran.


History
The architectural style of the Meccan Kaaba is shared by a number of pre-Islamic religious buildings, which have broadly been labelled as . They are primarily known from the Arabian Peninsula, but some have also been found in other regions, including the Kaaba of Zoroaster. Imoti contends that there were numerous such Kaaba sanctuaries in Arabia at one time, although only the Meccan Kaaba was built of stone. The of the Kaaba has been compared to pre-Islamic religious stones called , which were often black, thought to be of meteorite origins, and venerated in houses or temples of worship for a particular deity. Imoti argues that the other Kaabas also allegedly had their own counterparts of the Black Stone. There was a "Red Stone", in the Kaaba of the South Arabian city of Ghaiman; and the "White Stone" in the Kaaba of al-Abalat (near modern-day Tabalah). Grunebaum, in Classical Islam, points out that the experience of divinity of that period was often associated with the of stones, mountains, special rock formations, or "trees of strange growth."

In Islamic cosmology, the pilgrimage site was the precursor to the Kaaba.

(1987). 9789004078468, Brill Archive.


Before Muhammad
has cast doubt on the claim that Mecca was a major historical trading outpost. Other scholars such as disagree and assert that it was.
(1994). 9789694081366, Islamic Research Institute, International Islamic University.

In pre-Islamic Arabic poetry attributed to Zuhayr ibn Abi Sulma, the builders of the Kaaba are said to be the and tribes. Christian J. Robin argues that the Kaaba may have become prominent in the last decades of the 6th century in the aftermath of the military defeat of by the . However, Peter Webb, based on pre-Islamic poetry, argues that the Kaaba was never a prominent site of pilgrimage and that it largely played a local role in Western Arabia as opposed to a pan-Arabian one.

According to Islamic tradition, the pre-Islamic Kaaba was a site of worship for various Arabian tribes, who would make pilgrimage once every lunar year, setting aside their tribal feuds. The Kaaba hosted 360 pagan idols (potentially one representing each day of the year) including sculptures and paintings before Islam, notably including a statue of , the principal idol of Mecca. Paintings of angels, of Ibrahim holding , and of Isa () and his mother Maryam (Mary), which Muhammad spared.

(2011). 9780804781817, Stanford University Press.
Undefined decorations, money and a pair of ram's horns were recorded to be inside the Kaaba. The pair of ram's horns were said to have belonged to the ram sacrificed by Ibrahim in place of his son Ismail as held by Islamic tradition. Islamic tradition traces the polytheism of the Kaaba to the descendants of Ishmael who settled around the and gradually turned it away from its original monotheist practice during the time of Abraham. The Book of Idols by Hisham ibn al-Kalbi describes the origins of idolatry at the Kaaba: about 400 years before the birth of Muhammad, a man named 'Amr ibn Luhay, who descended from and was the king of , placed an idol of Hubal on the roof of the Kaaba. This idol was one of the chief deities of the ruling tribe. The idol was made of red and shaped like a human, but with the right hand broken off and replaced with a golden hand. When the idol was moved inside the Kaaba, it had seven arrows in front of it, which were used for . To maintain peace among the perpetually warring tribes, Mecca was declared a sanctuary where no violence was allowed within of the Kaaba. This combat-free zone allowed Mecca to thrive not only as a place of pilgrimage, but also as a trading center. A king named Tubba' is considered the first one to have a door be built for the Kaaba according to sayings recorded in 's .

, in his translation of the 's seerah, says that the Kaaba itself might be referred to in the feminine form.: The text reads 'O God, do not be afraid', the second footnote reads 'The feminine form indicates the Ka'ba itself is addressed' was often performed naked by men and almost naked by women. It is disputed whether Allah and Hubal were the same deity or different. According to a hypothesis by and Christian Robin, Hubal was only venerated by and the Kaaba was first dedicated to Allah, a supreme god of individuals belonging to different tribes, while the pantheon of the gods of Quraysh was installed in the Kaaba after they conquered Mecca a century before Muhammad's time.

(2025). 9780195336931, Oxford University Press USA.


Ptolemy and Diodorus Siculus
Writing in the Encyclopedia of Islam, Wensinck identifies Mecca with a place called Macoraba mentioned by .
(2025). 9789047430322, Brill. .
G. E. von Grunebaum states: "Mecca is mentioned by Ptolemy. The name he gives it allows us to identify it as a South Arabian foundation created around a sanctuary." In Meccan Trade and the Rise of Islam, argues that the identification of Macoraba with Mecca is false and that Macoraba was a town in southern Arabia in what was then known as . A recent study has revisited the arguments for Macoraba and found them unsatisfactory.

Based on an earlier report by Agatharchides of Cnidus, mentions a temple along the Red Sea coast, "which is very holy and exceedingly revered by all Arabians". believed that this was the Kaaba. However, Ian D. Morris argues that Gibbon had misread the source: Diodorus puts the temple too far north for it to have been Mecca.


In the Quran
In the Qur'an, from the era of the life of , the Kaaba is mentioned by the following names:
  • al-Bayt () in 2:125 by Allah
  • Baytī () in 22:26 by Allah
  • Baytik al-Muḥarram () in 14:37 by Ibrahim
  • al-Bayt al-Ḥarām () in 5:97 by Allah
  • al-Bayt al-ʿAtīq () in 22:29 by Allah
The Qur'an contains several verses regarding the origin of the Kaaba. It states that the Kaaba was the first House of Worship for mankind, and that it was built by Ibrahim and Ismail on Allah's instructions:
(1986). 9780918720580, Medieval Institute Publications, Western Michigan University.
(2013). 9781620321362, Wipf and Stock Publishers.

, in his famous () of the Quran, mentions two interpretations among the Muslims on the origin of the Kaaba. One is that the temple was a place of worship for () before the creation of man. Later, a house of worship was built on the location and was lost during the flood in Nuh ()'s time and was finally rebuilt by Ibrahim and Ismail as mentioned later in the Quran. Ibn Kathir regarded this tradition as weak and preferred instead the narration by Ali ibn Abi Talib that although several other temples might have preceded the Kaaba, it was the first ('House of God'), dedicated solely to him, built by his instruction, and sanctified and blessed by him, as stated in . A in states that the Kaaba was the first on Earth, and the second was in Jerusalem.

After the construction was complete, God enjoined the descendants of Ismail to perform an annual pilgrimage: the Hajj and the Qurban, sacrifice of cattle. The vicinity of the temple was also made a sanctuary where bloodshed and war were forbidden.
     


During Muhammad's lifetime
During Muhammad's lifetime (570–632 CE), the Kaaba was considered a holy site by the local Arabs. Muhammad took part in the reconstruction of the Kaaba around 600 CE, after its structure was weakened by a fire, and then damaged by a subsequent flood. Sources including 's Sirat Rasūl Allāh, one of the biographies of Muhammad (as reconstructed and translated by Guillaume), as well as 's chronicle of Mecca, describe Muhammad settling a quarrel between the Meccan clans as to which clan should set the Black Stone in its place. According to Ishaq's biography, Muhammad's solution was to have all the clan elders raise the cornerstone on a cloak, after which Muhammad set the stone into its final place with his own hands. pp. 84–87 The for the reconstruction of the Kaaba was purchased by Quraysh from a Byzantine ship that had been wrecked on the coast at Shu'aybah. The work was undertaken by a Coptic Egyptian carpenter from the same ship, called Baqum (باخوم Pachomius), the name indicates an Egyptian Origin, The name Pachomius means "eagle" or "falcon", It comes from the word "akhōm" (eagle/falcon), which originally meant "divine image" in Middle Egyptian.
(2025). 9780759101906, Rowman Altamira.
Financial constraints during this rebuilding caused Quraysh to exclude six cubits from the northern part of the Kaaba. This portion is what is currently known as Al-Hateem الحطيم or حجر اسماعيل.

Muhammad's Isra' is said to have taken him from the Kaaba to the and heavenwards from there.

Muslims initially considered Jerusalem as their qibla, or prayer direction, and faced toward it while offering prayers; however, pilgrimage to the Kaaba was considered a religious duty though its rites were not yet finalized. During the first half of Muhammad's time as a prophet while he was at Mecca, he and his followers were severely persecuted which eventually led to their migration to in 622 CE. In 624 CE, Muslims believe the direction of the qibla was changed from the Masjid al-Aqsa to the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, with the revelation of . In 628 CE, Muhammad led a group of Muslims towards Mecca with the intention of performing the Umrah, but was prevented from doing so by the Quraysh. He secured a peace treaty with them, the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, which allowed the Muslims to freely perform pilgrimage at the Kaaba from the following year.

At the culmination of his mission,

(2014). 9780521514309, Cambridge University Press.
in 630 CE, after the allies of the Quraysh, the Banu Bakr, violated the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, Muhammad conquered Mecca. His first action was to remove statues and images from the Kaaba. According to reports collected by and , Muhammad spared a painting of Mary and , and a fresco of Ibrahim.: Quraysh had put pictures in the Ka'ba including two of Jesus son of Mary and Mary (on both of whom be peace!). ... The apostle ordered that the pictures should be erased except those of Jesus and Mary.
(2025). 9781587680298, Paulist Press.

Al-Azraqi further conveys how Muhammad, after he entered the Kaaba on the day of the conquest, ordered all the pictures erased except that of Maryam:

After the conquest, Muhammad restated the sanctity and holiness of Mecca, including its Great Mosque (Masjid al-Haram), in Islam. He performed the Hajj in 632 CE called the Hujjat ul-Wada' ("Farewell Pilgrimage") since Muhammad prophesied his impending death on this event.

After Muhammad's conquest of Mecca, it is said that the 360 idols of the Kaaba were destroyed. The Kaaba became a site for the veneration of only, identified as the same God as that of other monotheists. The Kaaba continued to be a site of annual pilgrimage, and Muslims would perform the Salat prayer facing in Jerusalem, as instructed by Muhammad, and turning their backs on the pagan associations of the Kabah.


After Muhammad
The Kaaba has been repaired and reconstructed many times. The structure was severely damaged by a fire on 3 Rabi' I 64 AH (Sunday 31 October 683 CE), during the first siege of Mecca in 683 in the between the Umayyads and 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, an early Muslim who ruled Mecca for many years between the death of ʿAli and the consolidation of power by the Umayyads. 'Abdullah rebuilt it to include the hatīm. He did so on the basis of a tradition (found in several hadith collections) that the hatīm was a remnant of the foundations of the Abrahamic Kaaba, and that Muhammad himself had wished to rebuild it so as to include it.
(1967). 9780691097978, Princeton University Press.

The Kaaba was bombarded with stones in the second siege of Mecca in 692, in which the Umayyad army was led by al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf. The fall of the city and the death of 'Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr allowed the Umayyads under 'Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan to finally reunite all the Islamic possessions and end the long civil war. In 693 CE, 'Abd al-Malik had the remnants of al-Zubayr's Kaaba razed, and rebuilt it on the foundations set by the Quraysh. The Kaaba returned to the cube shape it had taken during Muhammad's time. Its basic shape and structure have not changed since then.

During its history, the at the Kaaba has been struck and smashed by a stone fired from a ,

(2025). 9781932099720, Light.
it has been smeared with excrement,
(2025). 9781139162302, Cambridge University Press. .
stolen and ransomed by the
(1994). 069103267X, Princeton University Press. 069103267X
and smashed into several fragments.

During the Hajj of 930 CE, the attacked Mecca under Abu Tahir al-Jannabi, defiled the Zamzam Well with the bodies of pilgrims and stole the Black Stone, taking it to the oasis in Eastern Arabia known as , where it remained until the Abbasids ransomed it in 952 CE.

After heavy rains and flooding in 1626, the walls of the Kaaba collapsed and the Mosque was damaged. The same year, during the reign of Ottoman Emperor , the Kaaba was rebuilt with granite stones from Mecca, and the Mosque was renovated.

In 1916, after Hussein bin Ali had launched the , during the Battle of Mecca between and Ottoman forces, the Ottoman troops bombarded the city and hit the Kaaba, setting fire to the protective veil.

(2025). 9782262070830, Éditions Perrin. .
(2008). 9781846033391, Bloomsbury USA.
This incident was later exploited by the propaganda of the Great Arab Revolt to attempt to demonstrate the impiety of the Ottomans and the legitimacy of the revolt as a holy war.

On 15 March 1935, three armed men from Oman attacked and tried to assassinate King during his performance of Hajj. He survived the attack unhurt, through the intervention of the crown prince, and the three attackers were killed by bodyguards.

The Kaaba is depicted on the reverse of 500 and 2000 banknotes.

provided the following narrative on the authority of his grandfather:

The Kaaba came to be considered the (world center), with the Gate of Heaven directly above it. The Kaaba marked the location where the sacred world intersected with the profane; the embedded Black Stone was a further symbol of this as a that had fallen from the sky and linked heaven and earth., 16th or early 17th century]]


In non-Islamic literature
The Khuzistan Chronicle is a short Nestorian (Christian origin) chronicle written no later than the 660s CE covers the history up to the Arab conquest and gives an interesting note on Arabian geography. The section covering the geography starts with a speculation about the origin of the Muslim sanctuary in Arabia:

According to the , a 10th-century work of literature, Ismail and his eldest son built the Kaaba as well as the city of Mecca."


Architecture and interior
The Kaaba is a -shaped structure made of . It is approximately high with sides measuring × wide. Inside the Kaaba, the floor is made of and . The interior walls are clad with tiled, white marble halfway to the roof, with darker trimmings along the floor. The floor of the interior stands about above the ground area where is performed.

The wall directly adjacent to the entrance of the Kaaba has six tablets inlaid with inscriptions, and there are several more tablets along the other walls. Along the top corners of the walls runs a black cloth embroidered with gold Qur'anic verses. Caretakers anoint the marble cladding with the same scented oil used to anoint the Black Stone outside. Three pillars (some erroneously report two) stand inside the Kaaba, with a small altar or table set between one and the other two. -like objects (possible lanterns or ) hang from the ceiling. The ceiling itself is of a darker colour, similar in hue to the lower trimming. The Bāb ut-Tawbah—on the right wall (right of the entrance) opens to an enclosed staircase that leads to a hatch, which itself opens to the roof. Both the roof and ceiling (collectively dual-layered) are made of -capped .

Each numbered item in the following list corresponds to features noted in the diagram image.

  1. The Ḥajar al-Aswad (), is located on the Kaaba's eastern corner. It is the location where Muslims start their circumambulation of the Kaaba, known as the tawaf.
  2. The entrance is a door set above the ground on the north-eastern wall of the Kaaba, called the Bāb ar-Raḥmah (), that also acts as the façade. In 1979, the gold doors made by artist Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr, replaced the old silver doors made by his father, Ibrahim Badr, in 1942. There is a wooden staircase on wheels, usually stored in the mosque between the arch-shaped gate of Banū Shaybah and the . The oldest surviving door dates back to 1045 AH (1635–6 CE).
  3. The Mīzāb ar-Raḥmah, commonly shortened to Mīzāb or Meezab is a rain spout made of gold. Added when the Kaaba was rebuilt in 1627, after a flood in 1626 caused three of the four walls to collapse.
  4. This slant structure, covering three sides of the Kaaba, is known as the Shadherwaan () and was added in 1627 along with the Mīzāb ar-Raḥmah to protect the foundation from rainwater.
  5. The Hatīm (also romanized as hateem) and known as the , is a low wall that was part of the original Kaaba. It is a semi-circular wall opposite, but not connected to, the north-west wall of the Kaaba. It is in height and in width, and is composed of white marble. The space between the hatīm and the Kaaba was originally part of the Kaaba, and is thus not entered during the tawaf.
  6. al-Multazam, the roughly space along the wall between the Black Stone and the entry door. It is sometimes considered pious or desirable for a pilgrim to touch this area of the Kaaba, or perform here.
  7. The Station of Ibrahim () is a glass and metal enclosure with what is said to be an imprint of Ibrahim's feet. Ibrahim is said to have stood on this stone during the construction of the upper parts of the Kaaba, raising Ismail on his shoulders for the uppermost parts.According to tradition: "God made the stone under Ibrahim's feet into something like clay so that his feet sunk into it. That was a miracle. It was transmitted on the authority of Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (may peace be upon him) that he said: Three stones were sent down from : the Station of Ibrahim, , and the Black Stone, which God entrusted Ibrahim with as a white stone. It was whiter than paper, but became black from the sins of the children of Adam." (The Hajj, F.E. Peters 1996)
  8. The corner of the Black Stone. It faces very slightly southeast from the center of the Kaaba. The four corners of the Kaaba roughly point toward the four cardinal directions of the .
  9. The Rukn al-Yamani (), also known as Rukn-e-Yamani or Rukn-e-Yemeni, is the corner of the Kaaba facing slightly southwest from the center of the Kaaba.
  10. The Rukn ush-Shami () , also known as Rukn-e-Shami, is the corner of the Kaaba facing very slightly northwest from the center of the Kaaba.
  11. The Rukn al-'Iraqi (), is the corner that faces slightly northeast from the center of the Kaaba.
  12. , the embroidered covering. Kiswa is a black silk and gold curtain which is replaced annually during the Hajj pilgrimage. Two-thirds of the way up is the hizam, a band of gold-embroidered Quranic text, including the , the Islamic declaration of faith. The curtain over the door of the Kaaba is especially ornate and is known as the sitara or burqu'.
    (2025). 9780674062184, The British Museum.
    The hizam and sitara have inscriptions embroidered in gold and silver wire, including verses from the and supplications to .
    (2025). 9780861591930, The British Museum.
  13. Marble stripe marking the beginning and end of each circumambulation.Key to numbered parts translated from, accessed 2 December
Note: The major (long) axis of the Kaaba has been observed to align with the rising of the star toward which its southern wall is directed, while its minor axis (its east–west facades) roughly align with the sunrise of and the sunset of .
(2025). 9781851094776, ABC-CLIO.
(2025). 9780743243797, Simon and Schuster.


Written marble documents inside the Kaaba
Inside the Kaaba, there were nine engraved marble stones, all written in the , except for one which is written in prominent script. In the eastern wall between the door and the Gate of Repentance another document was added by the custodian of the Two Holy Mosques at the time Fahd of Saudi Arabia, regarding his expansion of the mosque, thus bringing the number of documents to ten, all of which are inscribed on white marble.

Islamic sanctities received great attention from the during the period in which they ruled the Islamic world (784924AH, 1382–1517CE), with the Kaaba receiving significant attention. Of the ten marble slabs chronicling the architectural contributions of various rulers to , two of the slabs pertain to . One of these two records the achievements of one of the most notable circassians, . The document, dated to 1423 (CE), attests to a wide reconstruction and restoration process in the mosque by the Sultan. The inscription on the slab reads:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ربنا تقبل منا انك انت السميع العليم تقرب الى الله تعالى بتجديد رخام هذا البيت المعظم المشرف العبد الفقير الى الله تعالى السلطان الملك الاشرف ابو النصر برسباي خادم الحرمين الشريفين بلغه الله اماله و زين بالصالحات اعماله بتاريخ سنة ست و عشرين و ثمان مئه

This translates to:

"In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Our Lord, accept from us that you are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. Draw nearer to God Almighty by renewing the marble of this noble and honorable house. The poor servant of God Almighty, the honorable Sultan King Abu al-Nasr Barsbay, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques. May God reach his hopes and adorn his deeds with good deeds. The year eight hundred and twenty-six AH"
The other of the two circassian slabs is dedicated to Barsbays son, , known for his great architectural achievements throughout the . Dated to 1479 (CE), the document attests to a wide reconstruction and restoration process undertaken by Sultan for .
(2025). 9789775250636, مكتبة الثقافة الدينية،. .

The inscription reads:

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم ربنا تقبل منا انك انت السميع العليم أمر بتجيد ترخيم داخل البيت مولانا السلطان الأشرف أبو النصر قايتباي خلد الله ملكه يارب العالمين بتاريخ مستهل رجب الفرد عام أربع و ثمانين و ثمانمائة من الهجرة

Which translates to:

"In the name of God, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful. Our Lord, accept from us that You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing. He commanded the perfection of melodious chanting inside the house. Our Lord, the honorable and victorious Sultan Qaytbay, may God immortalize his kingdom, Lord of the worlds, on the first of the month of Rajab in the year eight hundred and eighty-four AH."


Significance in Islam
The Kaaba is the holiest site in Islam, and is often called by names such as the Bayt Allah (). The Basis for the Building Work of God p. 37, Witness Lee, 2003Al-Muwatta Of Iman Malik Ibn Ana, p. 186, Anas, 2013 and Bayt Allah al-Haram ().


Tawaf
Ṭawāf () is one of the Islamic rituals of pilgrimage and is compulsory during both the and Umrah. Pilgrims go around the Kaaba (the most sacred site in Islam) seven times in a direction; the first three at a hurried pace on the outer part of the Mataaf and the latter four times closer to the Kaaba at a leisurely pace. The circling is believed to demonstrate the unity of the believers in the worship of the , as they move in harmony together around the Kaaba, while supplicating to God.
(2025). 9781889999388, Islamic Publications International.
(2025). 9780138144777, .
To be in a state of (ablution) is mandatory while performing tawaf as it is considered to be a form of worship ( ).

Tawaf begins from the corner of the Kaaba with the . If possible, Muslims are to kiss or touch it, but this is often not possible because of the large crowds. They are also to chant the and each time they complete one revolution. Hajj pilgrims are generally advised to "make ṭawāf" at least twice – once as part of the Hajj, and again before leaving Mecca.

(1996). 091595754X, Mamdouh Mohamed. . 091595754X

The five types of ṭawāf are:

  • Ṭawāf al-Qudūm (arrival ṭawāf) is performed by those not residing in Mecca once reaching the Holy City.
  • Ṭawāf aṭ-Ṭaḥīyah (greeting ṭawāf) is performed after entering al-Masjid al-Haram at any other times and is .
  • Ṭawāf al-'Umrah (Umrah ṭawāf) refers to the ṭawāf performed specifically for Umrah.
  • Ṭawāf al-Wadā' ("farewell ṭawāf") is performed before leaving Mecca.
  • Ṭawāf az-Zīyārah (ṭawāf of visiting), Ṭawāf al-'Ifāḍah (ṭawāf of compensation) or Ṭawāf al-Ḥajj (Hajj ṭawāf) is performed after completing the Hajj.

The Tawaf has its origins in the religion of the Najranite pagans, who walked around the Kaaba in an act of devotion to their creator god, Allah (not to be confused with the monotheistic god of Islam by the same name). This practice was adopted by Mohammad after some reform.

(2025). 9781783269143


As the Qibla
The Qibla is the direction faced during prayer. The direction faced during prayer is the direction of the Kaaba, relative to the person praying. Apart from praying, Muslims generally consider facing the Qibla while reciting the to be a part of good etiquette.


Cleaning
The building is opened biannually for the ceremony of "The Cleaning of the Sacred Kaaba" (). The ceremony takes place on the 1st of Sha'baan, the eighth month of the , around thirty days before the start of the month of and on the 15th of , the first month. The keys to the Kaaba are held by the () tribe, an honor bestowed upon them by Muhammad. Members of the tribe greet visitors to the inside of the Kaaba on the occasion of the cleaning ceremony.

The Governor of the and accompanying dignitaries clean the interior of the Kaaba using cloths dipped in scented with . Preparations for the washing start a day before the agreed date, with the mixing of Zamzam water with several luxurious perfumes including Tayef rose, 'oud and . Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume is splashed on the floor and is wiped with . Usually, the entire process is completed in two hours.


Events related to the Kaaba
Many Islamic sources include and sources (Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri,Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn, Volume 3, Page 550. Sibt ibn al-Jawzi,Tazkerat al-Khawas, Page 10. Halabi Shafi'i,Al-Sirat al-Halabia, Volume 3, Page 485. ,Ikhbar al-Mecca, Volume 3, Page 226. Sheikh Abu Zakariyya al-Azdi,Tarikh Mosul, Kitab al-Salis al-Ashar, Page 58. ,Sarah al-Kharidah, Pages 3 and 15. Ibn Sabbagh Maliki,Al-Fosul al-Mohemmah, Page 29. Ganji Shafi'i,Kefayat al-Talib fi Manaqibi Ali ibn Abi Talib, Pages 405-406. Saffuri Shafi'i,Nazhat al-Majalis, Page 159.Mokhtasar al-Mahaasein al-Mojtama'ah, Page 156. ,Isbat al-Vasia'ah, Page 142.The Meadows of Gold, Volume 2, Page 273. Zarandi Hanafi,Ma'arej al-Vosul, Page 49.Nazm Dorrar al-Samtein, Page 76. Amir San'aniAl-Rozat al-Nadiyyah, Page 36.) have written that , the first Imam of the , was the only person to have been born in the Kaaba.


See also
  • Al-Masjid an-Nabawi
  • , the house where Muhammad is believed to have been born
  • List of largest mosques
  • List of mosques in Saudi Arabia
  • Miscellaneous Symbols and Pictographs (Unicode block), which contains a pictogram for the Kaaba,


Notes

Bibliography
  • (1997). 9780345391681, HarperCollins.
  • (2025). 081296618X, Random House Publishing. 081296618X
  • (2025). 9781593331023, Gorgias. .
  • (2025). 9780196360331, Oxford University Press. .
  • Mohamed, Mamdouh N. (1996). Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z. Amana Publications. .
  • (1970). 9780202307671, Aldine Publishing Company. .
  • 1915 The Book of History, a History of All Nations From the Earliest Times to the Present, Viscount Bryce (Introduction), The Grolier Society.


External links

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