MAKKAH — Eight employees work day and night inside the Grand Mosque to keep a close eye on the kiswa (the embroidered black cloth that adorns the Holy Kaaba) to make sure that visitors don't damage it, according to an official. “We have pilgrims coming from various parts of the wide Islamic World with varying religious backgrounds. We have faced instances of pilgrims behaving in inappropriate conducts and damaging the kiswa such as chewing its weaves for blessings,” said kiswa factory head Muhammad Bajoudah. He said the cover is cleaned on a weekly basis. “We also clean the door of the Kaaba and its handles,” said Bajoudah. He also said the factory raises awareness of the importance of the kiswa and its history. Bajoudah said the facility never stops working. The Presidency of the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques has said that the factory manufacturing kiswa is operating 24/7 throughout the year. Sheikh Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, chief of the presidency, said the kiswa factory is run by tradition. “Kneading the black cloth with golden embroidery is not a job one can learn in an internship. Kiswa factory is run by people growing up beside the Kaaba and watching the process from the factory's workshop to the annual changing of the kiswa,” said Al-Sudais. He added that the presidency has a special unit dedicated to the kiswa of the Kaaba to follow up with the agenda and progress of the factory. Bajoudah said the factory has a national and international presence showcasing the wonders of the kiswa. “We participate in local festivities such as Al-Janadriyah and also international exhibitions and museums in Europe and other parts of the world. In the past, we used to manufacture the kiswa in several different factories in different areas of the world. But today it is a 100 percent made-in-Saudi-Arabia,” said Bajoudah. The kiswa is 14 meters (42 feet) high, to match the height of the Kaaba, and 47 meters (141 feet) wide, enough to cover the four sides of Islam's holiest site, which are not identical in dimension. Its upper half is decorated with a 95-cm (three-foot) wide strip featuring verses from the Holy Qur'an, inscribed in gold plated silver thread, which weighs 120 kg. The kiswa is made of five pieces. The fifth piece is the curtain of its door. Nearly 650 kg of natural silk is required to make the kiswa. The silk is imported, but the kiswa is designed and tailored by more than 200 Saudi employees at the special factory. Every year, pieces of the old kiswa are presented as gifts to Muslim countries and senior Muslim personalities.
