MAKKAH: Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal handed the new Kaaba kiswa to the senior keeper of the Kabaa, Dr. Saleh Al-Shaibi, on Sunday, which marked the 11th day of Dul Hijjah.

The handing over of the kiswa comes as a prelude to changing the current drape with the new one on the first day of Muharram.

The handover was attended by the president of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, Dr. Abdurrahman Al-Sudais.

Abdulhamid bin Said Al-Maliki, the deputy general president for affairs at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba Kiswa, told Arab News in a previous interview, “the new kiswa will be draped over the Kaaba on the first day of Muharram instead of the ninth day of Dul Hijjah, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year.”

Al-Sudais said earlier that the Kingdom’s leadership is actively raising m the level of services provided at the two holy mosques, and that the utmost attention is paid to the Kaaba.

The kiswa is made from black raw silk and is decorated with selections of Qur’anic verses written in Thuluth, a type of Islamic calligraphy created by the previous Kaaba calligrapher, Abdulrahim Amin Bukhari.

The verses are gilded and embroidered onto the black cloth with silver and gold-plated thread.

The 658 square-meter kiswa is made from 670 kg of silk, and consists of 47 pieces stitched together by special machines.

It is also worth mentioning that this Hajj season, a kiswa exhibition was launched in Mina for pilgrims.

It tells the history of the kiswa, explains how it is made, and highlights the efforts made by the Kingdom to provide and develop all Kaaba-related services.

The exhibition is being organized by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques, the House of Islamic Arts, and The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Institute for Hajj and Umrah Research.