Assistant to the General President of the Two Holy Mosques: Transforming the Kaaba Kiswa complex into a cultural landmark and a tourist attraction

The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, during the coming period, intends to transform the King Abdulaziz Complex for the covering of the Kaaba into a cultural landmark and a magnet for all those heading to Makkah.

His Excellency Counselor Abdul Hamid Al-Maliki, Assistant General President for the Kiswa Complex, Exhibitions and Museums Affairs at the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, said in an interview with the Emirates News Agency “WAM” that the aim of this approach is to give the visitor to Makkah the opportunity to see closely how the kiswa is made, that most expensive dress in the world. Which costs 25 million Saudi riyals.

He added that the goal of the project to develop the Al-Kiswah Al-Mosharafa Factory is to become a global creative station and keep pace with the qualitative shift in the presidency of the Two Holy Mosques in accordance with the vision of 2030;

And the re-design of some sites that achieve tourist attractions to be a civilized icon of Makkah Al-Mukarramah and a prominent tourist landmark.

Regarding the estimated period of manufacture of the covering, al-Maliki said: “The process of producing and manufacturing the covering of the Kaaba takes between 7 to 8 months. He added: “Muslims followed with great joy the process of replacing the covering of the Kaaba on the first of Muharram, for the first time after it was being replaced on the ninth of the month of Ramadan. Dhul-Hijjah, pointing out that changing this date aims to achieve more interest in this great event because of its great place in the hearts of Muslims.

He noted that the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia attaches great importance to serving the Two Holy Mosques, and emphasizes improving the quality of business performance in the manufacture of the covering of the Kaaba in an outstanding manner, as well as paying attention to all aspects of digital transformations and artificial intelligence in the industry.

He explained that the directive of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, to name the King Abdulaziz Complex for the covering of the Kaaba that supervises the Kiswa factory located in the “Umm Al-Joud” neighborhood, which has a total area of ​​56 thousand square meters, comes in memory of the founder and his role in establishing this great edifice.

The Assistant to the General President for the Affairs of the Kiswa Complex, Exhibitions and Museums at the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques stated that the complex works with trained Saudi hands with professional hands that contribute to the improvement of the kiswa industry, numbering 220 professional manufacturers and administrators.

The complex’s team also specializes in caring for the cladding, including cleaning and polishing the gold, and maintaining the necessary sewing, repair and treatment at all hours of the day throughout the year.

Al-Maliki said: "The services that will be provided to the pilgrims during the new Hijri year 1444 AH are characterized by development and expansion, indicating that the Kingdom continues to provide services and provide a safe environment for performing rituals."

He referred to the technology of smart robots, which is based on distributing Zamzam water bottles without human intervention, with the aim of implementing precautionary measures and benefiting from artificial intelligence to serve the House of God, pointing to other services, including the distribution of the Qur'an, translation into many languages, the latest of which is the translation of Arafat's sermon that he witnessed. More than 200 million Muslims across 11 languages.

The kiswa consists of four pieces. Each piece covers one side of the Kaaba. The fifth piece is the curtain that is placed on the door of the Kaaba, and its manufacture goes through several stages.

The jacquard fabric is gathered to form the four sides of the kiswa, then the belt and curtain pieces are fixed to it in preparation for their installation over the Kaaba.

The weight of the cladding is 1,300 kg distributed between 760 kg of silk, 320 kg of cotton, 120 kg of gold-coated wire and 100 kg of silver.

The number of pieces of the covering belt of the Kaaba is 16 pieces, 12 lamps below the belt, 4 samdiates placed in the corners of the Kaaba, and 5 lamps of “God is Greatest” on top of the Black Stone, in addition to the outer curtain of the door of the Kaaba.

On August 2, the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques announced the removal of protective barriers around the Kaaba, coinciding with the start of the Umrah season, more than two years after it was placed as a precautionary measure to confront the "Covid-19" virus.

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