Syeda Amtul Saudi Gazette Farid, a skilled artisan at The Kiswa Factory, shows visitors the art of immaculate hand embroidery on the Kiswa at the Saudi Aramco Cultural Summer Festival in Jeddah. — SG photo by Syeda AmtulKISWA, the black-colored cloth that is draped over the Ka'bah in Makkah holds great reverence for all Muslims, especially those who work hard toward its making. The making of Kiswa is no easy feat, it requires careful, laborious craftsmanship by diligent workers. Farid is working at the Kiswatul Ka'bah factory for the past 37 years. He is showing the art of immaculate embroidery on the Kiswa to visitors in the heritage tent of the Saudi Aramco Cultural Summer Festival in Jeddah. “I feel honored to do this job. In fact, I consider it as my good luck that I'm doing something that makes me feel happy,” said Farid when asked how he felt working at the factory for over three decades. The Kiswa Factory has over 200 workers who work in specific groups. Farid said before entering the factory, every worker has to be clean and should have performed Wudu. Farid told Saudi Gazette that the making of the Kiswa is divided into six stages – coloring, weaving, designing, printing, embroidery and attaching each piece to one another. And it takes one whole year to accomplish it. The first stage in the making of the Kiswa is the dying of the cloth – an important and lengthy process that consumes a lot of time. The extensive treatment stabilizes the cloth to withstand a year's exposure to the sun and the touch of the circumambulators. According to Farid, the raw material for dying is imported pure silk. The second stage is the weaving wherein the workers patiently and meticulously weave the cloth with praises for Allah. The value of the woven cloth is well-known globally and worshipers from all walks of life strive hard to procure a piece of it. Weaving is followed by designing. The design and the calligraphy of the Kiswa is not fixed. Every year, various designers submit embellishments and patterns to the authorities for approval, after which they are printed on the cloth by specialized machines – another tedious process that requires immense precision. After the designs are printed on the Kiswa, skilled artisans take over the job of adorning it with beautiful hand embroidery in threads of gold and silver — the stage where Farid works with his colleagues. Farid said, “ I feel very glad to work there. I do my work whole-heartedly and my dedication toward my art work is noted. I feel honored to be part of the holy Kiswa.” The Kiswa is then sent to the laboratory for testing resilience, color steadfastness and durability followed by stitching of the numerous pieces. On the 9th of Dhul Hijja, the brand new Kiswa comprising of four parts – Al-Multazam, Al-Hijr, the Door of Abraham, and the side between the two corners – is assembled on the Ka'bah; experienced craftsmen skillfully stitch the heavy pieces together. The length of the Kiswa is 14 meters high. On the top third of the cloth, there is a 95 cm wide and 45 meters long hizam (belt). It has 16 pieces that surrounds the Ka'bah on all the four sides. Under the hizam, on each corner of the Ka'bah Surah Ikhlas is calligraphically embroidered inside a circle, in addition to six other verses from the Qur'an which are embroidered in separate frames. In between there are also lamp-shaped frames with phrases glorifying “The Eternal One.” Al-Multazam door of the Ka'bah has the heavily adorned embellished curtain made of silk and embroidered with protruding designs. All the inscriptions are inspired by the Ath-Thuluth style of Arabic calligraphy. The history of the Ka'bah goes back to the reign of King Abdul Aziz Bin Abdul Rahaman Al-Saud, who ordered the making of the Kiswa in Makkah. “Throughout my tenure in the factory, I have witnessed many significant changes. New machinery and modern technology is always brought in the factory to achieve impeccable results,” Farid said.
