Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque adorned on Sunday the holy Kaaba in Makkah with a new cover, or Kiswa.
Replacing the Kiswa is an annual tradition. A team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa, consisting of 159 craftsmen, carried out the operation.
The installed Kiswa, weighing around 1,350 kilograms and standing 14 meters high, consists of four separate sides and a door curtain. The belt was aligned in a straight line along the four sides and sewn into place.
The Kiswa is made of around 1,000 kilograms of raw silk, dyed black within the complex, 120 kilograms of gold threads, and 100 kilograms of silver threads. The Kiswa belt consists of 16 pieces, along with seven pieces below the belt.
The King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa employs around 200 craftsmen and administrators.
The complex includes several departments: dyeing and automated weaving, hand weaving, printing, belt-making, gilding, sewing, and assembly of the Kiswa.
It houses the world's largest sewing machine, measuring 16 meters, and operating with computerized systems. Additionally, there are supporting departments such as the laboratory, administrative services, quality control, public relations, health services for workers, and occupational safety.
