A new covering (Kiswa) was installed early Sunday at the holy Kaaba in Makkah on the first day of the Islamic new year (1 Muharram, 1446h) by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

A team from the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Kiswa of the Kaaba installed the elaborately designed black cloth cover. The team comprised 159 skilled craftsmen under the supervision of engineers and technicians specially trained for the complicated process.

As described by SPA, the special work team first removed the gold-embroidered pieces of the Kaaba’s old Kiswa while the new one was being brought to the Grand Mosque from the complex.

The Kiswa contains 53 gold-embroidered pieces consisting of 16 for the belt area, seven for under the belt, four corner pieces, 17 lanterns, five pieces for the door curtain, one piece for Al-Rukn Al-Yamani, and two pieces for the Black Stone outline, along with the gutter.

The installation of a new Kiswa is a complicated process that takes up to 200 skilled technicians and craftsmen to complete in a few hours.

The complex’s operational staff includes 159 skilled craftsmen who work to produce 56 gold-embroidered pieces for the holy Kaaba’s Kiswa. Work is done by hand, and it takes them between 60 and 120 days to complete one gold-embroidered piece.

A total of 120 kilogrammes of gold, 100 kilogrammes of silver and 1,000 kilogrammes of silk are used in the production of the Kiswa. As one piece, the Kiswa weighs 1,350 kilogrammes and measures 14 metres high, and consists of four separate sides and a door curtain, according to the complex in charge of Kiswa production.

The covering is adorned from the outside with inscriptions woven with black threads.