 The Kaaba "Cube" is a cuboidal building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam. The building is at least a thousand years old, but according to Islamic tradition dates back to the time of Abraham (Ibrahim). It is towards the Kaaba which all Muslims around the world face during prayer, no matter where they are on Earth.
The building has a mosque built around it, the al-Masjid al-Haram. One of the Five Pillars of Islam is that every Muslim who is able to do so, must travel to Mecca at least once in their lifetime to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.Multiple parts of the Hajj require that the pilgrims walk several times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction. This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage).
Pre-Islamic Meccans used it as a central shrine housing their many idols, most notable of which were al-Lat, al-Uzza, and Manat, collectively known as al-Gharaniq or the Daughters of God, and Hubal, a martial deity. The Black Stone, possibly of meteoric origin, is located at one of its outside corners.
Inside the Kaaba, there is a marble floor. The interior walls are clad with marble halfway to the roof |
Bayt al Hikma
