INTRODUCTION OF KHANA KABA

 The Kaaba, granite masonry,

covered with silk curtain and
calligraphy in gold and silver-
wrapped thread, pre-Islamic
monument, rededicated by
Muhammad in 631–32 C.E.,
multiple renovations, Mecca, Saudi
Arabia (photo:
Muhammad Mahdi Karim, GNU
version 1.2 only)
Prayer and pilgrimage
Pilgrimage to a holy site is a core principle of almost all faiths. The
Kaaba, meaning cube in Arabic, is a square building, elegantly draped
in a silk and cotton veil. Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, it is the
holiest shrine in Islam. In Islam, Muslims pray five times a day and
after 624 C.E., these prayers were directed towards Mecca and the
Kaaba rather than Jerusalem; this direction (or qibla in Arabic), is
marked in all mosques and enables the faithful to know in what
direction they should pray. The Qur‘an established the direction of
prayer. All Muslims aspire to undertake the hajj, or the annual
pilgrimage, to the Kaaba once in their life if they are able. Prayer five
times a day and the hajj are two of the five pillars of Islam, the most
fundamental principles of the faith.
Upon arriving in Mecca, pilgrims gather in the courtyard of the Masjid
al-Haram around the Kaaba. They then circumambulate (tawaf in
Arabic) or walk around the Kaaba, during which they hope to kiss and
touch the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad), embedded in the eastern
corner of the Kaaba.

Map of Mecca, Saudi Arabia (NormanEinstein, CC

BY-SA 3.0
 The history and form of
the Kaaba
o The Kaaba was a sanctuary in pre-Islamic times. Muslims believe that Abraham (known
as Ibrahim in the Islamic tradition), and his son, Ismail, constructed the Kaaba.
Tradition holds that it was originally a simple unroofed rectangular structure. The
Quraysh tribe, who ruled Mecca, rebuilt the pre-Islamic Kaaba in c. 608 C.E. with
alternating courses of masonry and wood. A door was raised above ground level to
protect the shrine from intruders and flood waters.
o Muhammad was driven out of Mecca in 620 C.E. to Yathrib, which is now known as
Medina. Upon his return to Mecca in 629/30 C.E., the shrine became the focal point for
Muslim worship and pilgrimage. The pre-Islamic Kaaba housed the Black Stone and
statues of pagan gods. Muhammad reportedly cleansed the Kaaba of idols upon his
victorious return to Mecca, returning the shrine to the monotheism of Ibrahim. The
Black Stone is believed to have been given to Ibrahim by the angel Gabriel and is
revered by Muslims. Muhammad made a final pilgrimage in 632 C.E., the year of his
death, and thereby established the rites of pilgrimage.
Modifications
 During the civil war between
 The Kaaba has been modified
extensively throughout its
history. The area around the
Kaaba was expanded in order
to accommodate the growing
number of pilgrims by the
second caliph, ‘Umar (ruled
634–44). The caliph ‘Uthman
(ruled 644–56) built the
colonnades around the open
plaza where the Kaaba stands
and incorporated other
important monuments into
the sanctuary.
the caliph Abd al-Malik and Ibn
Zubayr who controlled Mecca,
the Kaaba was set on fire in 683
C.E. Reportedly, the Black Stone
broke into three pieces and Ibn
Zubayr reassembled it with silver.
He rebuilt the Kaaba in wood and
stone, following Ibrahim’s
original dimensions and also
paved the space around the
Kaaba. After regaining control of
Mecca, Abd al-Malik restored the
part of the building that
Muhammad is thought to have
designed. None of these
renovations can be confirmed
through study of the building or
archaeological evidence; these
changes are only outlined in later
literary sources.