Makkah is more revered, influential, and sacred to more people than any other location on Earth. According to any objective measure, this valley in the Hijaz area of Arabia is the most prominent location on the planet. Every moment of every day, thousands of worshippers make their way around the Haram sanctuary, where the holy Kaaba sits at its centre. Through our Umrah Packages 2023, you may also have the opportunity to make this pilgrimage. Over a billion people see it five times a day, and its images hang in millions of homes. Some facts about the Kaaba that the general public probably doesn't know:
1. Purpose of the Shathrawan: During his reign over Makkah, Abdullah Ibn Al Zubair (RA) commissioned the construction of the shathrawan (the marble foundation around the Kaa'ba). It was constructed to save the Kaa'ba's textile covers, known as the kiswah, from damage during the rainy season. There are fifty-five metal rings that secure the Kaa'ba's covers to the shathrawan. This can be witnessed in person through our umrah package 2023 London.
2. The Black Stone is not whole but broken into multiple pieces: Situated in the Kaa'ba's southeast corner lies a mystical stone known as the Black Stone. Circumference-wise, the Stone is 30 centimetres, and its height from the floor is around 1.5 metres. Once in one piece, the Black Stone has been shattered throughout the years by many attacks, including the Qarmatian invasion of 930 AD.
3. Virtue of Al Multazam: It is recommended that you hold on to the Kaaba wall so that your face, chest, and hands are all touching the stone. The Tawaf, the prayer, and the kissing of the Hajar Al Aswad by Abdullah bin Umar (RA), according to tradition (Black Stone). Afterwards, he placed his face, chest, and hands on the wall between the Hajar Al Aswad and the Kaa'ba's entrance. When asked further, he answered, "This is what I observed Rasulullah (PBUH) do."
4. Inside the Kaa’ba there is a Niche Where Prophet (PBUH) Prayed: Perfumes made from natural musk and sandalwood are put on the inside of the Kaa'ba every year to keep it smelling fresh. The Kaa'ba has white marble flooring and rosewood marble borders, each four metres in height and perpendicular to the walls. The Prophet (PBUH) prayed in a niche at the inner entrance at the rear of the Kaa'ba. A stone of a different hue marks the spot.
5. The Roof of the Kaa'ba is held up by three wooden columns.: Three wooden columns, each 9 metres tall and 44 cm in diameter, now support the Kaa'ba, down from six. Copper and silver lamps from the time of the Ottoman Empire hung from the ceiling.
6. The Staircase Inside the Kaa’ba: The Door of Repentance is a door on the right side of the interior that leads to the roof. The Kaa'ba's stairway to heaven is mainly built of metal.
7. Virtue of the Yemeni Corner: South of the Kaaba lies a point called Rukn Yamani. Its original Ibraheemite foundation is still there (PBUH). Whenever the Prophet of Islam (PBUH) was nearby, he would reach out and touch this area of the Kaaba during Tawaf. A pilgrim, however, should not kiss Rukn Yamani or utter the words "Allahu Akbar" as Hajar Al-Aswad did. A hadith claims that sins may be forgiven if one touches both the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner.
8. Key Keepers of the Kaa’ba: After the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet (PBUH) gave the keys to the Kaa'ba back to Osman Ibn Talha (RA) of the Bani Shaiba family rather than retaining them for himself. The Prophet (PBUH) reaffirmed their status as key keepers of the Kaa'ba till the end of time, and to this day, the keys to the Kaa'ba are still held by the same family as they have been for generations.
9. History of the Kiswa (Al Kaa’ba Cover): The Prophet (PBUH) draped cloths and Yemeni textiles over the Kaa'ba in the early days of Islam. During the time of Umar Ibn Al Khattab, Egyptian linen was used to cover it. According to Hesham Ibn Orwa, Ibn Al Zubair first began using leather garments instead of cloth ones. Moawya ibn Abi Safyan was the first person to alter the Kaa'ba's covers twice in a single year.
10. Covers for the Kaa'ba are made in Makkah. The coverings for the Kaa'ba are made at a facility in Makkah that the Saudi government supervises. They produce three distinct kinds of covers: internal, exterior, and the Al Borquoo'o, which is reserved for the Kaa'ba's entrance. Gold-coated silver fibres were used to cover nearly 600 metres of fine black silk, which weighed a total of 670 kg.
