cover of kaaba was first prepared by hazrat ibraheem a.s.cover of kaba is called kiswa,every year the holy kaba is covered by a new kiswa on 10 zilhaj which coincides with haj and older one is cut into pieces ,distributed to foreign dignitaries .the present cost of it is sr 17 millions he cover is 658 sq. metres long and is made of 670 kgs of pure silk. For embroidery 15 kilos of gold threads are used. It consists of 47 pieces of cloth and each piece is 14 Metres. long and 101 cms broad. The kiswa is wrapped around the Kaaba and fixed to the ground with copper rings.
Traditionally the pattern of kiswa has not changed. The material is made up of silk and a gold embroidered band is sewn about three fourth the distance from the bottom. The part covering the door, which stands 2.13 metres above the ground on the north-east side wall, is covered separately with richly embroidered Quranic verses, leaving an opening for the black stone.
at firts it used to come from king of yemem.it was changed on tenth muharam but slowly it was changed
prophet muhamad s.a.w once offered white kiswa made of yememi cloth.nasir abbasi used to offer green but after sometime they used blackone.
In 1926 a factory was set up at Makkah by Late King Abdul Aziz to make the Kiswa. Initially all the craftsmen were brought from India. It took more than 100 craftsmen the whole year to weave the cloth on ancient wooden handlooms and to embroider it in magnificent calligraphy. In 1937 the factory was closed down due to non availability of modern machinery.
The factory was re-opened after a long gap in 1962. Making of the Kiswa is an interesting process and done in different stages. The best silk is imported from Italy and Germany. With the help of special detergents and special olive oil soaps the silk is washed to remove its protective wax.
The silk is exposed to high temperatures of 90c and washed several times to get its natural colour. The best results of dyeing are achieved on the natural colour. Ten years before, dyeing was done manually and now it is being done through specialised machines. Later weaving is done.
In the beginning the belt of the Kaaba had 8 pieces and later it was doubled. In 1971 two additional pieces of YA HAYYU and YA QAYUUM were introduced. The cover and inner layer are done in one department. Designing of Quranic verses is being computerised. Computerised designing has slowly replaced manual designing and increased the speed of work.
Silver and golden threads are used for embroidery. Embroidery threads are now made locally in Saudia Arabia, by the same goldsmith who made the door of Kaaba. Finished pieces under go strict quality control tests in the laboratory before being stitched together. Engraved with verses from the Holy Qur’an, the Kiswa is intricately woven with gold and silver threads.
The Kiswa is made in many stages. After the cover is designed by well-known artists, it is colored. Intricate work includes the design of decorations, the embroidered inscriptions on the belt and the Kaaba door curtain, and the decorations on Jacquard cloth for the outer and inner cover.
under the directorship of the then Crown Prince Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz al Saud, which utilized more modern means for making the Kiswah. The factory employs around 200, not including the administrative branch, and uses the latest technology to create the Kiswah; today the design of the Kiswah is computerized, allowing for faster results and better quality.
u know why kabaas cover is black
its in mourning of imam hussain a.s
