Kiswah
Kiswa (
The annual practice of covering the Kaaba has pre-Islamic origins and was continued by Muhammad and his successors.[3] Historically, various types of cloth and textiles have been used as draping, but Egyptian produced kiswas would be popularized by early Islamic rulers.[4]
History
Pre-Islamic
The tradition of covering the Kaaba predates the emergence of Islam, with various Yemeni textiles composing the draping.
Era of Muhammad
Umayyads and Abbasids
The pre-Islamic hangings covering the Kaaba would remain until the rule of
Location of manufacture
From the time of the
Historic procession
The procession of the kiswa and its journey to Mecca dates back to 1184 CE from an account by
The tradition of the kiswa being accompanied by a covering called the mahmal during the trip to Mecca is said to have started during the rule of Queen Shajar al-Durr, however the practice was not widely accepted as tradition until the 15th century.[11] It is unclear whether the mahmal carries the kiswa itself or simply accompanies the cloth to Mecca due to the lack of access to the processional covering,[11] however it is said that in modern times the mahmal carries the new kiswa to Mecca and then takes the old kiswa to Cairo after the Hajj is completed.[12]
Design and textiles
Design
Today the Kiswa’s design features the colors black, gold, and silver. Black silk linen comprises the entirety of the garment, displaying large unaccented sections and providing background to the portions with inscriptions. The gold and silver comprise the inscriptions and accents that embellish the garment. Rendered in the Thuluth calligraphy style, these characters overlap each other and protrude slightly from the kiswa itself. The Sura Ikhlas appears in circular medallions inscribed within squares at each of the four corners of the kiswa: Rukn al-Hajjar al-Aswad (Arabic: ركن الحجر الأسواد), Rukn al-'Iraqi (Arabic: الركن العراقي), Rukn al-Yamani (Arabic: الركن اليميني), Rukn ush-Shami (Arabic: الركن الشامي). These are beneath the hizam where longer Qur’anic verses appear. Artisans carefully interweave gold and silver wire to create these elements which appear brilliant on the black silk. Previous iterations have featured more colorful and varied design programs. However, kiswas dating earlier than the Ottoman period are rare due to natural degradation as well as a now defunct practice of cutting the kiswa and selling the pieces to pilgrims.
Textiles
The textile covering of the Kaaba has multiple parts including, the hizam (
Kiswa
The term kiswa refers to the overall covering of the Kaaba. The fabric contains 670 kilograms of imported white silk thread that is then dyed black. Jacquard machines weave the black thread into either plain or patterned cloth equaling forty-seven pieces of cloth measuring 98 centimeters by 14 meters. The patterned cloth contains inscriptions taken from the
Hizam
Two-thirds of the way up the kiswa is an embroidered band called the hizam. The band comprises 16 pieces of silk cloth with four pieces attached to each side of the Kaaba. Assembled, the hizam measures 47 meters in length and 95 centimeters in width. The text on the hizam consists of Quranic verses embroidered with gold and silver thread. Under the belt at each corner of the Kaaba is an additional set of square panels of cloth called the kardashiyyat containing the
Sitara
Over the exterior door to the Kaaba is a cover called the burqu' or sitara. This panel is the most elaborately decorated portion of the kiswa. The sitara has an average size of 7.75 meters by 3.5 meters and is assembled by sewing together four separate cloth panels. Each panel contains embroidered verses from the Quran and additional dedications.
Additional textiles
Other textiles used in covering portions of the Kaaba include a curtain hung over the Bab al-Tawba door in the interior of the Kaaba.[10] Also remade each year is the green silk bag which holds the key to the Kaaba, a tradition introduced in 1987.[14] Along with these textiles, the workshops send ropes for attaching the kiswa to the Kaaba, and spare silk in case the kiswa needs repair. Degradation and disfiguration caused by exposure to natural elements and popular rituals, such as the taking of a piece of the kiswa, necessitate regular maintenance.[3]
References
- ^ "How the manufacturing of the Kaaba cover, kiswa, changed over the centuries". Arab News. 2022-07-08. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- S2CID 194836803.
- ^ OCLC 1128065777.
- ^ a b c d Mortel, Richard (1988). ""The Kiswa: Its Origins and Development from Pre-Islamic Times until the End of the Mamluk Period"". Al-'Usûr. 3 (2): 30–46.
- OCLC 3705122.
- ^ "من هو تبع المذكور في القرآن الكريم ؟ - الإسلام سؤال وجواب". islamqa.info (in Arabic). Retrieved 2023-11-09.
- ISBN 9780861591930.
- ^ a b "Saudi Aramco World : A Gift from the Kingdom". www.saudiaramcoworld.com. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
- ISBN 9780520057715
- ^ OCLC 709670348.
- ^ S2CID 155485062.
- ^ "When the Kaaba's Kiswa came from Egypt". Arab News. 2019-08-01. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
- OCLC 709670348.
- ^ a b Ghazal, Rym (28 August 2014). "Woven with devotion: the sacred Islamic textiles of the Kaaba". The National. Retrieved 2021-01-07.