From: Abdullah M <abdullah630@gmail.com>
Date: Thu, Jan 6, 2011 at 4:20 PM
Subject: [bangla-vision] [Dawaah] Kiswa - Kaba covering
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Kiswa - Kaba Covering
Written by Habib Shaikh
Throughout Islamic history, it has been considered a great honor to be able to perform a service to the Ka`bah, in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. One of these services, performed by both kings and commoners, is to be able to contribute towards the covering of the Ka'aba with the Kiswa - its drape. Helping to do this can be done in many ways: from funding the making of the Kiswa to sewing it.
History of the Kiswa
The history of covering the Ka'aba goes back as far as pre-Islamic times. A few accounts tell how Adnan, son of A'ad, the ancestor of Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alayhi wasalam) was the first man to cover the Ka'aba with cloth, and that Prophet Ismail (alayhi salam) also covered the Ka'aba. Many more sources agree that Tubba, King of Humayyur in Yemen, was the first to cover the Ka'aba with rough cloth, khasaf, then later with finer cloth. After this, many people in pre-Islamic times covered the Ka'aba, as in those days, they could do so freely.
Types of textile
All types of textiles known in pre-Islamic times were used - straw, silk, striped Yemeni cloth, Iraqi pads, Yemeni shawls, and Coptic Egyptian cloth. The coverings were put over each other. As years went by, the coverings accumulated on top of the Ka'aba, getting heavier and heavier, so much so that the Ka'aba was in danger of collapsing under the weight. When the Abbasid Kalifa Al-Mahdi performed Hajj in 160H (775), he ordered that all coverings should be removed except one. That became the normal practice, which continues to this day.
Black cloth
Kalifa Al-Mamoon used to cover the Ka'aba three times a year: using red silk brocade, white Coptic cloth, and silk brocade. Following this, the Abbasid Kalifa Al-Nasir, covered it with green cloth and then with black cloth. Thereafter black cloth became the accepted covering. The practice of covering the Ka'aba was taken up by Sultan al-Zahir Baibars, and continued by the rulers of Egypt. The practice of putting an embellished curtain - Al-Burqu (the veil) - on the door of the Ka'aba was started in 810H (1408).
Building the factory
In 1346H (1927) King Abdul Aziz ibn Abdul Rahman Al-Saud, ordered the building of a special factory in Makkah for making the Kiswa. In 1362H (1943) the late King Faisal decreed that the factory be renovated. Since then, the factory has undergone much development. The first black Kiswa and first green internal Kiswa were made in the factory in 1382H (1962). The new building was inaugurated in 1397H (1977), with modern machinery, to aid in the production of the Kiswa, while at the same time continuing the artistic tradition of making the more ornate parts of it by hand.
Sixteen meter sewing machine
About two years ago, a new computerized pneumatic control sewing machine - the longest in the world at 16 meters - was bought from Germany at a cost of nearly SR3 million. With this machine, what had taken six months to do could now be done in six weeks. The factory has more than 200 highly talented and trained workers, all Saudis, who operate these sophisticated machines.
The workers
The young and the old generation of workers - including Mohammad Khayyat, with 11 years of service, and Abdur Rahman Hosawy, who has been with the factory for 5 years, all feel the same about working in the factory: 'I have been working here for the last 26 years, and have never felt bored or tired,' said Amin Hassan Jafaar, a thread craftsman. Another worker, Ibrahim Nofel, has worked as a craftsman for many years at the factory. 'It is very inspiring and satisfying work.' The oldest worker, Rajab Mohawas Al-Malki, 80, has been sewing the Kiswa by hand for the last 40 years. 'I feel proud, and relaxed,' he said when asked how he felt sewing the Kiswa for such a long period of time.
The Kiswa
The Kiswa costs more than SR 17 million to make. The cloth is made of 670 kilograms of pure silk, imported from abroad as raw material and dyed black in the factory. After weaving, this measures 658 square meters. The cloth consists of 47 rolls, each roll 14 meters long and 101 centimeters wide. About 120 kilograms of pure gold and 50 kilograms of silver go into its making.
The Hazam
The Kiswa is 14 meters high. On the top third of the cloth is a 'hazam' or belt, 95 centimeters wide and 45 meters long, made up of 16 pieces and surrounding the Kiswa on all sides. The belt is embroidered with protruding designs that are enameled with silver threads covered with gold, with some Qur'anic verses in the Ath-Thuluth style of Arabic calligraphy.
Silver threads covered with gold
Under the belt, at each corner of the Ka'aba, the Ikhlas Sura (Purity of Faith Sura) is embroidered inside a circle surrounded by a square Islamic decoration.
At the same height, also under the belt, there are six verses from the Holy Qur'an, each of which is in a separate frame. On the areas separating these frames, there is the shape of a lamp on which Qur'anic phrases are written. Everything written under the belt is in Ath-Thuluth, embroidered in protruding designs and interwoven with silver threads covered with gold. These designs were introduced during the Saudi reign.
The embellished curtain
Each of the four sides of the Ka'aba - Al-Multazam, Al-Hijr, Door of Abraham, and the sides between the Two Corners - has Qur'anic verses written on it. The Al-Multazam door side contains the belt, the area under the belt, and the curtain of the door of the Ka'aba. The belt consists of four pieces. Below the belt are the presentation statement, the Ikhlas Sura, and three lamp shapes. On the side of the Al-Multazam door there is the embellished curtain of the Ka'aba door - Al-Burqu (the veil).
Offering from the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques
The curtain is made of black silk cloth, consisting of five pieces stitched together, measuring 20.86 square meters. It is decorated with Qur'anic verses and also embroidered in protruding designs, interwoven with silver threads covered with gold. At the end of the curtain is a statement saying that it is made in Makkah and offered as a gift to the Holy Ka'aba by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Fahd.
The other sides: Al-Hijr, and Door of Abraham, and between the Two Corners have the belt with four pieces.
Making the Kiswa
The workshop produces two Kiswahs every year. One is used as a backup. Work on these pieces continues throughout the year and is done in stages:
Dyeing
Dyeing is the first stage. The material used is of the highest quality raw silk, in skeins covered with a layer of natural gum called sarcenet, which gives the silk a yellowish color. The skeins weigh about 100 grams, are 3,000 meters long and 76 centimeters high. This natural silk is dyed in two stages. First, the gum is removed in hot basins containing olive oil soap and chemicals. The skeins are immersed for about two hours at 90 degrees centigrade. Then, they are washed with water several times. The natural silk regains its white color and is ready for dyeing, having lost about 30 per cent of its weight.
A year of exposure
The dyeing is done by weighing the thread needed for each separate machine. Chemicals are used to stabilize the color against light, washing and friction. The silk is continuously spun around in the dyeing basins for two hours, and then rinsed and dried. The threads become homogeneous; ready for a whole year of exposure to the hot sun, and the touch of the multitudes of circumambulators.
Weaving
The second stage is weaving. It consists of primary weaving, manual weaving, and auto weaving. Primary weaving changes the silk skeins into cones of thread so that they can be spread on the special machines. This is called warping, which is followed by junctioning - passing the ends of the threads through the wires of the combs of the loom. The latitudinal threads (weft) are wound round a special wheel called a reel, fixed inside the shuttle. The shuttle moves inside the longitudinal thread (the warp) to the left and to the right to make the textile. The manual department collaborates with the internal production department in producing the green or black embellished cloth (Jacquard). This takes careful and painstaking work, resulting in an artistic masterpiece. In auto weaving, another quantity of dyed thread is made ready for weaving, combined and interwoven by modern weaving machines. Patterned cloth is made on the Jacquard machines, while plain cloth is made on the Dolby ones.
Design and calligraphy
The third stage is that of design and calligraphy. Although the text of the inscriptions never changes, the design and writing style are changed from time to time, with suggestions made by a group of artists and calligraphers. The designer studies Islamic designs and patterns and makes sketches, which are examined by the relevant authorities. After approval, these are drawn where required. After coloring and shading, further approval is given by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques (as for any other modifications) to the General Director for the Affairs of the Holy Mosque in Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah.
Special designs are put on blocks of paper, and printed on pieces of carton, which are mounted on the Jacquard machine where the holes allow the up and down movements of the threads to create the designed embellishments and the accompanying inscriptions.
The printing process
Preparations for the embroidery of the embellishments on the Kiswa cloth take place in the printing department. This was founded in 1399H (1978), and replaced the method of sprinkling powder and lime on the engraved pattern and stamping these on the cloth. During the printing process, the weaving machine is prepared first. The belt of the Kiswa, the curtain of the door of the Ka'aba and all other embellishments are printed on the black silk. The printing is done by shaplons (silk screens), which are prepared with great skill. After production and printing comes the most important stage: embroidering the cloth with gold and silver threads. This stage of the process has to be executed patiently by hand.
The completed Kiswa
The completed Kiswa is stored in a dust-proof, waterproof, and temperature-controlled room, with the latest fire precautions. A celebration is held at the Kiswa factory, during the Hajj season, when the Kiswa is delivered to the Chief Gatekeeper of the Holy Mosque. The Chief Gatekeeper is also given a bag, produced in the factory, in which the key of the Ka'aba is kept. The ceremony is attended by high ranking officials and the media among others. The magnificent Kiswa is ready to be put on the Ka'aba, which is done on the 9th of Dhul Hijja, when pilgrims stand on Arafat.
A labor of love
The old Kiswa is preserved with great care. Various pieces are given to visiting VIPs and high-level dignitaries. In 1403H (1982), Saudi Arabia presented the Door Curtain of the Holy Ka'aba to the United Nations on behalf of the Islamic world, in a gesture of goodwill, at a ceremony at the UN Headquarters in New York. This piece, the Sitara, is on display in the reception hall of the delegates' lounge - two meters wide and nine meters high. It is worth viewing these shimmering works of art to appreciate the labor of love and dedication that they represent for the artists who make them and for the people of Saudi Arabia as a whole.
http://www.nellaieruvadi.com/islam/kaaba_kiswa_factory.asp
Pictures – Making of Kiswa: http://www.islamation.com/2008/10/making-of-kiswa-the-black-cloth-covering-kaabah
Pictures – Changing of Kiswa: http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/9295/kabacloth.jpg
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