Holy Kaaba covered with new silk and gold Kiswah for new Islamic year

MAKKAH: Marking the commencement of the Islamic New Year on the first of Muharram, the Holy Kaaba was adorned with a new Kiswah during the early hours of Tuesday.
The traditional annual ceremony involved removing the old covering and replacing it with a newly crafted masterpiece. The production of the garment took 150 Saudi artisans and technicians an entire year to complete, utilising premium silk, gold, and silver.
Weighing approximately 1,400 kilograms, the Kiswah features 30 Quranic verses intricately embroidered into the heavy black fabric with gold and silver threads.
The installation process was carried out in ten meticulous stages by specialists from the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswah. The team raised individual sections over each side of the structure before seamlessly stitching them together. The manufacturing cost of the holy cloth is estimated at nearly 600 million rupees.
The event was closely supervised by Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, Head of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque. A large gathering of the faithful assembled at the Grand Mosque to witness the solemn and historic ritual.