Kaabas

Kaabas are the sacred cube-shaped shrines most closely associated with Islam. The best known is the Kaaba, located at the center of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Kaaba is Islam’s holiest site, and Muslims face toward it during daily prayers, a direction called the qibla. Pilgrims also perform tawaf, a ritual circumambulation around the structure during Hajj and Umrah.

The Kaaba’s appearance and features are distinctive. It is a cuboid structure roughly 13 meters tall, with a base of about 11 by 12 meters. The exterior is clad in a black silk and gold-embroidered covering, known as the kiswah, which is replaced annually around the time of the Hajj. On the eastern face is a bronze door, and set into the eastern corner is the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad), an object of reverence for many pilgrims.

Historically, Islamic tradition holds that the Kaaba was originally built by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael, and it has undergone numerous renovations and reconstructions over the centuries due to floods and other damage. The site gained central religious significance in pre-Islamic Arabia and became the focal point of the Islamic pilgrimage after the Prophet Muhammad’s era.

Ritual practices surrounding the Kaaba are central to Muslim worship. During Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims perform tawaf by circling the Kaaba seven times in a counterclockwise direction. Kissing or touching the Black Stone during the tawaf is practiced by some pilgrims when possible. Access to the interior of the Kaaba is generally restricted to specific ceremonial occasions, and non-Muslims are prohibited from entering Mecca.