The Kaaba of the Masjid al-Haram Mosque
The Kaaba is a cube-shaped building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The Qur'an states that the Kaaba was constructed by Abraham and his son Ishmael, after Ishmael had settled in Arabia. The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram. All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are.
One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if they are able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above). This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when, officially, about 6 million pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day.
The Kaaba is located inside the Masjid al-Ḥarām ("The Sacred Mosque") in the center of Mecca. A large masonry structure in the shape of a cube, it is made of granite quarried from nearby hills. Standing upon a 10inch marble base.
The Black Stone, is located in the Kaaba's eastern corner. Its northern corner is known as the “Iraqi corner", its western as the “Levantine corner", and its southern as the “Yemeni corner". The four corners of the Kaaba roughly point toward the four cardinal directions of the compass. Its major axis is aligned with the rising of the star Canopus toward which its southern wall is directed, while its minor axis, east-west facades, roughly align with the sunrise of the summer solstice.
The Kaaba is covered by a black silk and gold curtain known as the kiswah, which is replaced annually during the hajj. Two-thirds of the way up is a band of gold embroidered Qur'anic text, including the Shahada, the Islamic declaration of faith.
In modern times, entry to the Kaaba's interior is only permitted on rare occasions for a small number of guests. The entrance is a door set 2m (7ft) above the ground on the north-eastern wall of the Kaaba, which acts as the façade. In 1979 the 300 kg gold doors made by chief artist Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr, replaced the old silver doors made by his father, Ibrahim Badr in 1942. There is a wooden staircase on wheels used to access the entrance
Inside the Kaaba, the floor is made of marble and limestone. The interior walls are clad with marble halfway to the roof; The marble is inset with kufic inscriptions. The wall directly adjacent to the entrance of the Kaaba has 5 tablets inlaid with inscriptions. The top part of the walls are covered with a green cloth embroidered with gold Qur'anic verses. Caretakers anoint the marble cladding with scented oil used on the Black Stone outside.
There is also a semi-circular wall opposite, but not connected to, the north-west wall of the Kaaba known as the hatīm. At one time the space lying between the hatīm and the Kaaba belonged to the Kaaba itself, and for this reason it is not entered during the walk around the Kaaba . Additionally, some believe that the graves of the prophet Ismail and his mother Hajar are located in this space; therefore making it sacred.
Muslims throughout the world face the Kaaba during daily prayer, for most this means facing in the general direction of Mecca. Worshippers in the Masjid al-Haram pray in concentric circles around the Kaaba, as seen below.
1. Black Stone on the south-east corner.
2. Entry door
3. Rainwater spout made of gold.
4. Gutter, also added in 1627 to protect the foundation from water.
5. Hatim, a low wall originally part of the Kaaba. Graves of Hajar and Ismail?
6. Al-Multazam, the part of the wall between the Black Stone and the entry door.
7. Post of Abraham. Abraham is said to have stood on this stone during the construction of the upper parts of the Kaaba.
8. Corner of the Black Stone (South-East).
9. Corner of Yemen (South-West). Pilgrims traditionally acknowledge a large vertical stone that forms this corner.
10. Corner of Syria (North-West).
11. Corner of Iraq (North-East).
12. Kiswa, the embroidered covering, replaced annually.
13. Marble stripe marking the beginning of each circumambulation.
14. Post of Mohammed Azzaam Ekkeri.