- Address: Masjid al Haram, Makkah 24231, Saudi Arabia
- Contact phone: +966 51 920 5696
- Website: gph.gov.sa
The main shrine of Islam, called the Kaaba, attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Mecca every year. According to the Koran, this city is the sacred center of Muslims all over the world.
Location:
The main shrine of Islam, called the Kaaba, attracts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims to Mecca every year. According to the Koran, this city is the sacred center of Muslims all over the world.
Location:
The Kaaba is located in the courtyard of the Masjid al-Haram mosque , in the city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia , near the coast of the Red Sea. This territory of the country is called Hijaz.
Who built the Kaaba in Mecca?
Accurate data on how many years the Kaaba and who is the author of this Muslim shrine are not established to this day. According to some sources, the temple appeared even under Adam, and then was destroyed by the Flood and forgotten. The restoration of the Kaaba was carried out by the prophet Ibrahim with his son Ismail, who, according to legend, was assisted by the archangel Gabriel. The proofs of this version are the footprints of the prophet, preserved on one of the stones. There is also a legend explaining where a black stone appeared in the Kaaba. When there was only one stone left before the completion of the construction, Ismail left for his search, and when he returned he found that the stone had already been found and from his father he learned that it was brought by the Archangel Gabriel straight from Paradise. This is the Black Stone, the laying of which was the completion of the construction of the temple.
For all of its existence, the sanctuary was rebuilt and reconstructed according to different data 5-12 times. The reason for this was mainly fires. The most famous reconstruction of the Kaaba occurred under the Prophet Muhammad, then its form was changed from a parallelepiped to a cube. The last perestroika was carried out in the 1st century AD, and in this form the Ka'ba has survived to the present day. The last cosmetic reconstruction is dated back to 1996.
What is the Kaaba?
In translation from the Arabic Kaaba means "sacred house". When praying, the Muslims turn their face to the Kaaba.
Kaaba is made of granite, has the shape of a cube and the dimensions are 13.1 m in height, 11.03 m in length and 12.86 m in width. Inside there are 3 columns, marble floors, ceiling lamps and an incense table.
What is inside the sacred Kaaba?
Most often pilgrims ask questions about the Kaaba cube, related to its internal content: about what is a sacred stone in the Kaaba, how and when to get inside, which hotels are nearby, ask about interesting facts . Let us dwell in more detail on what constitutes the basis of the inner content of this holy place:
- Black stone. It is a cobblestone in the eastern corner of the temple at a height of 1.5 m. Muslims consider it a great luck to touch a stone, which the prophet Muhammad once touched with his cane.
- Door. It is located at an altitude of about 2.5 m in the eastern part of the cube, in order to protect the structure from floods. The door was presented as a gift by the 4 th king of Saudi Khalid ibn Abdul Aziz. For its finishing, almost 280 kg of gold was used. Keys from the Kaaba are kept by the Bani Pike family, which keeps order and cleanliness. Since the time of the Prophet Muhammad
- Gutter. He was provided for the removal of torrential streams and the collapse of the temple. The flowing water is considered here a symbol of grace and is directed to the place where the wife and son of the prophet Ibrahim are buried.
- The plinth. It is the base on which the walls of the Kaaba are held, and also serves as the protection of the foundation from underground waters.
- Hijr Ismail. A low semicircular wall where pilgrims can pray. Here are buried the bodies of the wife of Ibrahim and his son Ismail.
- The Multazam. A section of the wall from the Black stone to the door.
- Makam Ibrahim. A place with a footprint of the Prophet Ibrahim.
- The angle of the Black Stone.
- The corner of Yemen is the southern corner of the Kaaba.
- The angle of Sham is in the western part of the Kaaba.
- The angle of Iraq is northern.
- Kiswa. It is a silk fabric of black color with golden embroidery. Kiswu is used to harbor the Kaaba. Change it annually, giving out the used kiswu in the form of rags to pilgrims.
- Marble strip. It denotes places to bypass the temple during the Hajj. Previously, it was green, now white.
- Place of standing of Ibrahim. Denotes the point where the prophet stood during the erection of the temple.
Rules for visiting the Kaaba
Earlier, anyone could attend the Kaaba. However, in view of the large number of pilgrims and the incommensurably small size of the Kaaba, the temple was closed down. Currently, only very important guests are allowed to enter it, and only 2 times a year, when the bathing ceremonies take place before the beginning of the month of Ramadan and before the Hajj.
Muslims who have the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to Mecca can touch the main shrine of the world during a detour around the Kaaba. Representatives of other religions can not visit these sacred places. In the days of the Hajj, a huge number of people are concentrated around the Kaaba, and hundreds of injuries and accidents are recorded annually. In order to avoid getting into the crush, you can consider the option of translating the pilgrimage of Muslims to Mecca: you can see rare shots showing what Kaaba is and how it looks from the inside.
How to get there?
In order to visit the Kaaba, you can go to your destination on foot or by car. In the first version, go to the Al-Haram Mosque, and in the second - go along the road number 15, King Fahd Rd or King Abdul Aziz Rd.