The General Authority for the Care of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has completed the annual tradition of raising the lower part of the Kiswah, or cover, of the Holy Kaaba.
The ceremony, carried out on Wednesday, involves lifting the Kiswah by about 3 meters and covering the exposed area with a white cotton cloth measuring 2.5 meters wide and 54 meters long across all four sides.
This precautionary measure, part of the 2024 Hajj season plan, is intended to protect the Kiswah from damage during the pilgrimage.
Pilgrims often touch and sometimes inadvertently damage the Kiswah during tawaf, the ritual circumambulation around the Holy Kaaba.
To cover the exposed part of the Holy Kaaba, a white cotton cloth, measuring 2.5 meters in width and 54 meters in length, was draped around all four sides. This temporary cover will remain in place until 15 Dhu al-Hajj.
A team of 36 specialized Saudi technicians, equipped with 10 cranes, conducted the procedure. The process involves several meticulous steps, starting with unscrewing the bottom of the cover from all sides. The corners are then separated, the bottom rope is untied and removed from the fixing rings, and the cloth is rolled upward.
Once the Kiswah is lifted, lanterns around the Kaaba are dismantled to make way for the white cloth, which is then put in place. The lanterns are reinstalled over the white cloth until the final phase, which includes wrapping the lower part of the curtain of the Holy Kaaba’s door.
