THE NOBLE KABAH
THE NOBLE KABAH
- The noble Ka’bah is the focul point of Muslims around the globe and Muslims orient themselves in its direction five times every day at prayer time. Muslims firmly believe that the cube-shaped structure around which the Musjid al Haram was built, is the most sacred building on Earth.
- One of the five pillars of Islam is to make the pilgrimage to the Ka’bah atleast once in a persons lifetime. For this reason, two to three million pilgrims visit Makkah during the annual Haj, while tens of thousands visit daily throughout the rest of the year. This has made the Ka’bah reign supreme as the world’s most visited religious site for well over a thousand years.
- Its construction was undertaken by the Prophet Ibrahim AS and his son Ismail AS and has been in use ever-since. During both the Lesser and Greater Pilgrimages, Muslims circumambulate the Ka’bah as part of the prescribed rituals.
- In terms of its size, it is roughly 13 metres tall, and about 11 by 13 metres at its base. Constructed of gray stone and marble, it is oriented so that its corners roughly correspond to the points of the compass. The interior contains nothing but the three pillars supporting the roof and a number of suspended silver and gold lamps. During most of the year the Ka’bah is covered with an enormous cloth of black brocade, known as ‘The Kiswah’.
- Located in the eastern corner of the Ka’bah is the Black Stone, whose now-broken pieces are surrounded by a ring of stone and held together by a heavy silver band.
- The well of Zamzam is located very close to the Ka’bah ans has been a source of water for pilgrims for hundreds of years.
