JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 featured a series of events this week to celebrate the first public display outside Makkah of the whole Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba.
The exhibition allows visitors to admire the intricate weaving and embroidery of the Kiswah, a cloth that adorns the Holy Kaaba in the Grand Mosque in Makkah, made with silk, gold, and silver thread.
The second edition of the biennale is being held at the Western Hajj Terminal of King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah until May 25.
It is hosted by the Diriyah Biennale Foundation, which aims to showcase Islamic craftsmanship and enhance understanding of Islamic cultural legacy.
The foundation said that the Kiswah of the Holy Kaaba, with its distinctive inscriptions and ornamentations, is “considered the highest form of creative production in Islamic arts,” and holds significance in the lives of Muslims worldwide.
The exhibition highlights Saudi Arabia’s key role in serving Islam and Muslims over the decades.
Since 1927, the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa has been producing decorative embroidered clothes for the Holy Kaaba, which is replaced annually.
Alongside the Kiswah, the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025 will display an array of historical Islamic artifacts and contemporary artworks.
