The Sacred Cloth At Center of Hajj Pilgrimage

As Muslims gather for the annual pilgrimage of Hajj in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, they will circle around the “Kaaba,” a black cube draped in gold-embroidered cloth. A ceremonial textile — known as the “kiswah” — covers the Kaaba, around which Muslims will walk seven times in a ritual known as “tawāf.” It is the central act of the annual pilgrimage.

The Kaaba itself is a roughly cubic gray granite structure about 43 feet tall, which Muslims believe was established by the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim in Arabic) and his son Ishmael as a place of monotheistic worship in antiquity. The Kaaba is empty inside, with no altar, idol or relic on display.