IQNA quoted Sawa al-Akhbariyyaa as saying that the authorities of the two shrines in Saudi Arabia organized an exhibition to introduce pilgrims to the art of weaving the Kaaba veil in Mecca.
At this exhibition, pilgrims learned about the art of weaving the Kaaba veil, calligraphy and how to weave words and motifs onto fabric. Some were lucky to take part in this process.
Covering the Kaaba is an Islamic tradition passed down through generations.
About a hundred technicians work in the department of making the ribbon that encircles the Kaaba, and a part of qiswa that covers the doors to the First Mosque, on which surahs from the Quran are painted.
Despite technological advances, manufacturers cannot invent a machine to replace labor in making the covering of the venerable Kaaba. It is a unique work of art, with the greatest artists in the Islamic world vying for the honor to create it.
The skill of painting the qiswa of the Kaaba is passed down through generations, from father to son. The qiswa is made of 675 kg of raw black silk for the outside and green for the inside lining. In the painting 100 kg of gilded silver threads and 120 kg of pure silver threads are used.
The kiswa, which is annually changed during the Hajj season, on the morning of Arafat of the 9th month of Zul-Hijjah, is a unique work of art in which modern technology is blended with traditional technology. The raw materials used are taken to laboratories for testing and verification of their quality and compliance with specifications. The qiswa factory in Mecca uses silk and dyes from Italy and silver threads from Germany.
Candidates for factory jobs receive six months of practical training before joining the core team for a further six months of practical and theoretical training under the supervision of an expert or a head of the department.
Before Islam, the Arabs also used to cover the Kaaba, and when Prophet Muhammad vested it after conquering Mecca, it became an Islamic ritual that the caliphs and Muslim rulers observed for centuries.
Responsibility for qiswa production was fully transferred to the Kingdom in 1962. Prior to that, production was in Egypt.
GSV "Russia - Islamic world"
Photo: hajjinform.ru