thumb|right|[[Kaaba in Makkah (Mecca)]]
thumb|right| as pictured on February 22, 2024.
The or () is the cloth that covers the Kaaba in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is draped annually, although the draping date has changed over the years. A procession traditionally accompanies the to Mecca, a tradition dating back to the 12th century. The term has multiple translations, including 'robe' and 'garment'. Due to the iconic designs and the quality of materials used in creating the , it is considered one of the most sacred objects in Islamic art, ritual, and worship.
The annual practice of covering the Kaaba has pre-Islamic origins and was continued by Muhammad and his successors. Historically, various types of cloth and textiles have been used as draping, but Egyptian produced were popularized by early Islamic rulers.
History
Pre-Islamic
The tradition of covering the Kaaba predates the emergence of Islam, with various Yemeni textiles composing the draping. Abu Karib later covered the Kaaba in a striped red woolen garment, layering it atop the already existing hangings. The Quraysh (), the ruling confederation of tribes in Mecca, later organized funding for the using annually collected payments from each of the tribes who worshipped there. However, the Abbasid caliph Al-Mahdi would establish the precedent of annually removing and replacing the old after realizing the accumulated weight from the old could structurally compromise the Kaaba following his pilgrimage to Mecca in 777 CE. The Amir al-Hajj (commander of the caravan), who was directly designated by the sultans of the Mamluk, and later, Ottoman Empires, transported the from Egypt to Mecca on an annual basis. Muhammad Ali Pasha of Egypt ordered the expenses for making the to be met by his state treasury in the early 19th century. Since then, Dar Al-Khoronfosh, a workshop in Cairo's Al-Gamaleya district, had been selected for the task of making the , and continued this role throughout the reign of the Egyptian monarchy. After the takeover of the Hijaz region, and from 1927 onward, its manufacture was partially moved to Mecca and then fully transferred in 1962, when Egypt ceased production; the facility is now the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswa.
Disposal
Old kiswahs are divided into pieces, which may later be sold or put on display.
Historic procession
thumb|The 1910 covering the [[Kaaba in Mecca]]
The procession of the and its journey to Mecca dates back to 1184 CE from an account by Ibn Jubayr. According to Ibn Jubayr, the was brought to Mecca via camel from its place of creation along with an elaborate procession of drums and flags. The was then placed on the roof of the Kaaba once it reached Mecca, still folded.
The tradition of the being accompanied by a covering called the during the trip to Mecca is said to have started during the rule of Queen Shajar al-Durr, however the practice was not widely accepted as tradition until the 15th century.
Design and textiles
Design
thumb|upright=0.8|An artisan embroidering cloth with gold thread.
Today the 's design features the colors black, gold, and silver. Black silk comprises the entirety of the garment, displaying large unaccented sections and providing background to the portions with inscriptions. The gold and silver comprise the inscriptions and accents that embellish the garment. Rendered in the Thuluth calligraphy style, these characters overlap each other and protrude slightly from the itself. The appears in circular medallions inscribed within squares at each of the four corners of the : (), (), (), and (). These are beneath the where longer Qur'anic verses appear. Artisans carefully interweave gold and silver wire to create these elements. Previous iterations have featured more colorful and varied design programs. However, dating earlier than the Ottoman period are rare, due to both the natural process of decay and the now-defunct practice of cutting the and selling the pieces to pilgrims.
Textiles
The textile covering of the Kaaba has multiple parts, including the () and () or (). The earliest known still-extant was manufactured in Egypt and dates to 1544, and the earliest Ottoman was made for Selim II in the late 16th century. The basic designs of the and have changed little over time, although the embroidery in gold and silver wire has become more ornate. All inscriptions on the , , , and supplemental textiles use the Thuluth () style of calligraphy. Between 1817 and 1927, the was manufactured at the Dar al-Kiswah, a dedicated workshop in Cairo, Egypt. In 1927 textile manufacturing moved to a workshop in Mecca.
The term refers to the overall covering of the Kaaba. The fabric contains of imported white silk thread that is then dyed black. Jacquard machines weave the black thread into either plain or patterned cloth equaling 47 pieces of cloth measuring by . The patterned cloth contains inscriptions taken from the Shahada () incorporated into the fabric during the weaving process. Each panel of cloth is then stretched over a loom and templates of verses from the Quran and Islamic ornamental patterns are applied using silk screens. Embroidered decorative elements, Quranic verses, and prayers are hand-embroidered by Saudi artisans using gold and silver thread. The only stylistic requirement for the text and decorations is that it must be visible from a distance. Once the embroidery is applied the cloth is sewn together and a white cotton calico backing is applied for support. The finished measures and costs 22million SAR to produce.
thumb|right|upright|[[Sitara (textile)|Sitara for the door of the Kaaba, made in Cairo, 1606 CE (Khalili Collection of Hajj and the Arts of Pilgrimage)]]
Two-thirds of the way up the is an embroidered band called the . The band comprises 16 pieces of silk cloth with four pieces attached to each side of the Kaaba. Assembled, the measures in length and in width. The text on the consists of Quranic verses embroidered with gold and silver thread. Under the belt at each corner of the Kaaba is an additional set of square panels of cloth called the containing the Surah of Ikhlas ().center|thumb|upright=1.4|Section from the ; late 19th century, Cairo, Egypt. Text contains the , followed by verses 26 and 27 from
Over the exterior door to the Kaaba is a cover called the or . This panel is the most elaborately decorated portion of the . The has an average size of and is assembled by sewing together four separate cloth panels. Each panel contains embroidered verses from the Quran and additional dedications.
Additional textiles
Other textiles used in covering portions of the Kaaba include a curtain hung over the door in the interior of the Kaaba.