Madinah: The pavilion of the General Authority for the Care of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque at the exhibition held in parallel with the Umrah and Ziyarah Forum at the King Salman International Convention Center in Madinah, attracts numerous visitors, particularly the activity involving the weaving and stitching of the Kaabah Kiswah (cloth cover).
Skilled craftsmen spend hours writing Quranic verses on wooden boards designed to hold the silk fabric, using silver and golden threads to embroider them in Thuluth calligraphy that shows great craftsmanship.
Ammar Al-Sindi, one of the weavers of the Kiswah at the pavilion, said: “The production of the Kiswah goes through 10 stages that adhere to adopted standards characterized by precision and quality in writing, and integration of golden fabric.”
He said that the Kiswah contains 52 golden pieces woven with 670 kilograms of natural silk and adorned with around 120 kilograms of gold and 100 kilograms of silver.
The production of the Kiswah, which is
replaced every year on the first day of Muharram with a new one, takes 10 months, said Al-Sindi, noting that the cost of the Kiswah ranges between SAR20 million and SAR25 million, and is given as a gift by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.
Source: Saudi Press Agency