Kaaba’s sacred cover replaced ahead of islamic new year

In Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the black cloth cover of the Kaaba — Islam’s holiest site — was replaced on Wednesday ahead of the Islamic New Year.

Tens of skilled workers carefully raised the new cover, known as the Kiswa, using robes and mechanical lifts in a meticulously coordinated effort.

Weighing 1.4 tons, the Kiswa is made of fine black silk and adorned with 68 verses from the Quran, embroidered using silver threads plated with 24-carat gold. It takes nearly eleven months of intricate work to produce the cover each year.

The Kaaba stands at the center of the Grand Mosque and draws millions of Muslims annually for the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. While not worshipped itself, the Kaaba represents the metaphorical house of God in Islam.

For Muslims around the world, it remains the spiritual focal point — the direction toward which they pray five times a day.