THE KAABA

The Kaaba is a construction housing the black stone that was worshipped in pre-Islamic times. The Kaaba is covered by a canopy of black silk embroidered with gold thread, depicting suras from the Koran. From 630 onwards, Muslims turned to the Kaaba at prayer time, wherever they were in the world. Pilgrims to Mecca circle it 7 times during the tawaf rite. In Arabic, the term ka'ba refers to a cubic building. The word is mentioned in Sura 5(The Table), verse 97 in the following terms: "God instituted the Ka'ba, the Sacred House, as a gathering place for people. He has instituted the sacred month, the offering and the garlands, so that you may know that truly God knows all that is in the heavens and on earth; and that truly God is omniscient". This verse is important because it reveals the existence of a "house of God" , and because it takes up sacrificial acts practiced before the advent of Islam.

The Black Stone and the pre-Islamic era. Mecca was a place of pilgrimage before the advent of Islam, and the Kaaba probably already existed. The Arabs worshipped betyls, uncarved quadrangular stones. They often came from meteorites which, for ancient peoples, were the manifestation of a divinity. Maximus of Tyre, a ^2nd-century philosopher, reports in his Dissertations: "The Arabs also worship, but I don't know what. As for the sensible object of their worship, I have seen it: a quadrangular stone". The archaeological study of Arab tribes has revealed the worship of stones in the desert, of meteorites, but also of trees or springs. Objects of worship are traditionally surrounded by a haram, an enclosure that defines the sacred area. Such is the case with the Kaaba and its black stone, the object of the most important pilgrimage in Arabia. What's more, the Kaaba was built at the bottom of a valley, close to a spring. The Qur'an provides further details on this pilgrimage and on the origins of the black stone. The Sura of the Table refers to the animals brought as offerings, wearing garlands around their necks. The Kaaba is said to have been built by Abraham and his son Ishmael. In other Islamic traditions, it is said to be the work of Adam. The stone is said to have descended from Heaven to show Adam where to build the first temple on Earth. The origin of the black stone is unknown. Sampling and analysis are forbidden. Some believe it to be a meteorite stone. It shattered under the effect of heat during the fire of 684, and was stolen in 930 by the Qarmates, a Shiite current of Islam. It is now set in a silver frame in the north-east corner of the Kaaba. The Kaaba was also home to statues of deities and betyls placed there by pilgrims. The 3 daughters of God are said to have been venerated there: Al-Lat, Manat and Al-Uzza.

The Kaaba in Islam. When the Prophet Mohammed returned to Mecca in 630, he cleared the Kaaba of all statues and idols. The building is now an empty house, the House of God, who alone can be worshipped. The Kaaba was destroyed twelve times in the course of its history, ten times before the advent of Islam and three times afterwards. It was burnt down in 684 and 692, during the Umayyad struggle for the Caliphate. In 1630, the walls collapsed following torrential rains. It was rebuilt each time. Today, the Kaaba is a granite structure, quarried from the surrounding mountains. It is a false cube. The shortest wall is 9.90 metres long and the longest 12.01 metres long, for a height of 12.95 metres. There is only one raised opening. The double-leaf wooden door is plated with 280 kg of pure gold. It is opened three times a year to cleanse the floor with water from the Zamzam spring, supposedly discovered by Abraham's wife Hagar. The walls are covered with white marble slabs up to three meters from the floor, and lined with green silk hangings on which are woven the shahada (profession of faith) and some of the 99 names of Allah. Three carved teak columns support the false ceiling. A staircase leads to the terrace. The access door is called "the door of repentance". It is hung with silk embroidered with gold and silver threads. This door is opened once a year to change the kiswa, the black silk canopy that covers the building. The kiswa is embroidered with Koranic verses in gold thread. Since the founding of the Saudi kingdom, kiswas have been made in a workshop located right next to the Grand Mosque. It was once made in Egypt, as a gift from Egyptian sultans. But the tradition of covering the Kaaba is much older. It dates back to the ^1st century, when emirs from the four corners of the Peninsula and the Arab world offered woollen blankets and colorful silks on their pilgrimage to Mecca. The kiswas were piled one on top of the other, threatening to topple the building under their weight. In 775, Caliph Al-Mahdi ordered that only one canopy be left. The tradition of using black silk appeared in the ^13th century, although later colored kiswas could be offered. A fine example in red silk is on display at the House of Islamic Arts in Jeddah.