Al Khalid

Acquaint yourself with unknown facts about the Kaaba

For every Muslim, no place is as holy as Mecca. It is the place that makes every Muslim pray whole heartedly and ask for forgiveness from Allah. Millions of people circle the Kaaba at the center of the Haram Sanctuary. The Kaaba is the imperative center of Mecca.
This cube shaped building is the heart of the place and considered to be the greatest real estate in the history of mankind. It is covered in black and shares its own sets of mystery.

We are going to list down a few things you never knew about the Kaaba:
1. It has been rebuilt many times
The Kaaba that is in Mecca today is way different than the one constructed by Prophet Ibrahim & Ismail. It was recreated after some natural as well as man-made disasters.The major reconstruction took place during the life of the Prophet. During this the Prophet prevented bloodshed by placing the Black Stone using a sacred cloth that every tribe could lift.The last and final renovation took place in 1996. Here the planning was done thoroughly, replacing several stones and strengthening the foundations and roof. There are modern techniques used making the building more secure and stable.

2. One Door
The original Kaaba that was built by Prophet Ibrahim and Ismail had two doors and a window one side. But after so many reconstructions, currently Kaaba has only one door and no window at all.

3. Kaaba used to be multi-colored
During the initial construction Kaaba was covered in multiple colours like – red, green, and even white. This trend of black started during the time of Abbasids because his house was black. It became a trademark since that time.

4. One family has the key
When the Kaaba was first constructed, the responsibility was given to different sub- groups of the Quraish. But they lost control of their guardianship due to multiple reasons. During the invasion of the Kaaba, Prophet was given the key by Osman ibn Talha ® of the Bani Shaiba family. But Prophet chose to return it to him, and since then, they are the traditional key keepers of the Kaaba.

5. Everyone was welcomed at the Kaaba.
The Kaaba used to be open twice a week for anyone to come and pray. But due to swift increase in the number of pilgrims, The Kaaba is opened only twice a year.

6. You could swim around it.
As Kaaba was situated at the bottom of the valley, the area around it was prone to flood. It used to be submerged in water for days and it never stopped the pilgrims to come and pray.Now there are various modern adjustments that prevent floods during the monsoons. Because of this very reason we cannot encounter such a sight again.

When you visit The Kaaba next time, you will be amazed to see how much has changed but the devotion of the people and the divinity of the place has still remained the same.