>
The Writing on the Kiswah of the Holy Ka'bah
The kiswah is woven from pure, raw silk. dyed black, and with the following statements woven into it:
(i) There ii no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
(ii) Allah is the Great, Powerful and Sublime.
(iii) Praise and Glory be to Allah.
(iv) Praise be to My Glorious Lord.
(v) O, You Compassionate! O, You Benefactor! All these are repeatedly written over the cloth in a zigzag pattern.
Close up writing on the Kiswah of the Holy Ka'bah
The length of the cloth is 14.5 metres. On the upper third, the-s the belt of the kiswah, which is 95 centimetres wide. Under the belt on the comers, Surat ? Al-lkhlas is inscribed on an embellished square of ,3 Islamic designs. At the same height, under the belt, as well, six Qur'anic verses are written inside separate, rectangular, embroidered frames. In between these framed Qur'anic verses. the following Divine Names; are worked in lamp-shaped outlines:
(i) O, You the Sustainer, the Everliving!
(ii) O, You the Merciful, the Compassionate!
(iii) Praise be to Allah, the Cherisher and Sustainer of the Worlds.
All work under the belt is inscribed in compound, Thulth calligraphy, embroidered in raised form and covered by gilded silver thread. These pieces were introduced during the flourishing Saudi era. (16, p. 76)
Expenditure and Manpower
The total expenses of one kiswah of the Holy Ka'bah arc seventeen million Saudi Rivals, including all overhead costs. One kiswah needs 670 kilograms of pure silk which covers the surface of the Holy Ka'bah. It is made into 47 panels of cloth, the length of each is 14 metres and the width 95 centimeres. The number of employees has increased from 16 at the founding of the factory, to more than 240. The expenditure varies because the prices of silk, raw materials, manpower and machinery are constantly changing. |
