# The Kaaba (DD-655)

> The Kaaba stands at the center of the Masjid al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque, often called the Great Mosque) in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. Islamic tradition holds that the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Ismail (Ishmael) built it as a house for the worship of one God. It's roughly cube-shaped, about 13.1 m high, 12.8 m long and 11.03 m wide. The structure has been rebuilt several times in its history, and the 1629 reconstruction used large granite blocks. The Black Stone is set in its eastern corner. The Kaaba is the qibla, the direction Muslims face in prayer. During Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims perform tawaf, walking around it seven times counterclockwise. Its covering, the Kiswah, is made each year at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa in Mecca. It's black natural silk embroidered with Qur'anic verses in silver thread plated with gold, weighs around 1,400 kg, and in recent years has been changed at the start of the Islamic new year, on 1 Muharram.

- Department: Locations (also History)
- First published: 2025-09-29
- Last updated: 2025-09-29
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-kaaba/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **1629**: The Kaaba is rebuilt, largely in its present granite form
- **June 26, 2025**: A new Kiswah is installed for 1 Muharram 1447

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=the-kaaba

## Quick facts

- **DD-655-F01**: Muslims around the world face the Kaaba in prayer: it's the qibla. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (The qibla and tawaf))_
- **DD-655-F02**: During tawaf, pilgrims walk around the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (The qibla and tawaf))_

## Write-up

The direction of daily prayer. The Kaaba in Mecca's Masjid al-Haram is Islam's qibla.

1. **Where it stands**: The Kaaba is at the center of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and is Islam's most sacred site. Islamic tradition holds that Ibrahim and Ismail built it for the worship of one God.
2. **Size and stone**: It's about 13.1 m high, 12.8 m long and 11.03 m wide. Rebuilt several times, it took its present granite form largely in a 1629 reconstruction.
3. **The qibla and tawaf**: Muslims everywhere face the Kaaba in prayer. During Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims walk around it seven times counterclockwise, starting from the Black Stone in its eastern corner.
4. **The Kiswah**: The Kiswah is black natural silk embroidered with Qur'anic verses in gold-plated silver thread. It's made each year by Saudi artisans at a dedicated complex in Mecca.
5. **A yearly change**: In recent years the Kiswah has been replaced at the start of the Islamic new year, as on 1 Muharram 1447 (June 26, 2025).

## Related case files

- [The Wailing Wall (DD-673)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-wailing-wall/): Another sacred site at the center of a faith's worship
- [The White Temple (DD-042)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-white-temple/): Another landmark of religious architecture
- [Ardabil (DD-620)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/ardabil/): I linked another sacred site in Islam

## Reel vs. record

- **Shape**: it's 'cube-shaped' only roughly, at about 13.1 m high, 12.8 m long and 11.03 m wide.
- **Missing history**: the Kaaba has been rebuilt several times, and its present granite structure largely dates from a 1629 reconstruction.
- **Kiswah detail**: the embroidery is silver thread plated with gold (with some silver thread), on black natural silk, and the Kiswah is replaced each year.
- **Name**: the 'Great Mosque' is the Masjid al-Haram, also called the Sacred Mosque or Grand Mosque.
- **Missing context**: during Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims perform tawaf, walking around the Kaaba seven times counterclockwise from the Black Stone in its eastern corner.

## Video: The Kaaba: The Direction of Daily Prayer

- Duration: 26.0 s · Published: 2025-09-29
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DPL2RPyEf7L.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Kaaba located at the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is a cube-shaped granite structure considered the holiest site in Islam, believed by Muslims to have been originally built by the Prophet Abraham and his son Ishmael as a house of monotheistic worship. Draped in a black silk cloth embroidered with gold known as the Kiswah, the Kaaba is the focal point of the Hajj pilgrimage and the qibla, the direction Muslims around the world face during daily prayers. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What is the Kaaba's role in daily prayer?**  
A: Muslims face it in prayer. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The qibla and tawaf) · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Kaaba)_

**Q: What is the Kaaba's black covering called?**  
A: The Kiswah. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (The Kiswah) · Al Jazeera (2026): What's inside the Kaaba and what covers it? The story of the Kiswah; Arab News: Kaaba adorned with new kiswa)_

**Q: How many times do pilgrims walk around the Kaaba in tawaf?**  
A: Seven times, counterclockwise. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The qibla and tawaf) · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Kaaba)_

**Q: In which mosque does the Kaaba stand?**  
A: The Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Where it stands) · Encyclopaedia Britannica: Kaaba; Archnet: Ka'ba, Mecca)_

**Q: When has the Kiswah been changed in recent years?**  
A: On 1 Muharram. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (A yearly change) · UNA-OIC / SPA (Jun 26, 2025): Thuluth calligraphy adorns the Kaaba's Kiswa (1 Muharram 1447 change); Arab News: Kaaba adorned with new kiswa)_

## Sources

- [Encyclopaedia Britannica: Kaaba](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Kaaba-shrine-Mecca-Saudi-Arabia)
- [Archnet: Ka'ba, Mecca](https://www.archnet.org/sites/3790)
- [Al Jazeera (2026): What's inside the Kaaba and what covers it? The story of the Kiswah](https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2026/5/25/whats-inside-the-kaaba-and-what-covers-it-the-story-of-the-kiswah)
- [UNA-OIC / SPA (Jun 26, 2025): Thuluth calligraphy adorns the Kaaba's Kiswa (1 Muharram 1447 change)](https://una-oic.org/en/ALL/2025/06/26/Thuluth-style-Arabic-calligraphy-decorates-the-Kiswa-of-the-Kaaba./)
- [Arab News: Kaaba adorned with new kiswa](https://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/kaaba-adorned-with-new-kiswa-2647397)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "The Kaaba." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-655, last updated Sep 29, 2025. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-kaaba/