MAKKAH — The General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque has stated that a team of 166 technicians and craftsmen will handle the replacement process of the Kaaba Kiswah (cloth) next Saturday, as per the annual custom.

The old Kiawah will be replaced by a new one under the supervision of the President General of the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, Sheikh Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais.

Dr. Al-Sudais stressed the Saudi leadership's interest in the holy Kaaba, the qiblah of Muslims, and its keenness to harness all capabilities in the service of Islam and Muslims.

For his part, Under-Secretary-General for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque Dr. Saad bin Mohammed Al-Muhaimid said around 200 craftsmen and admins work in King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswah.

Al-Muhaimid said the departments of the complex include the laundry and automatic weaving department, the manual weaving department, the printing department, the belt department and the gold thread department, the Kiswah sewing and assembling section, which includes the largest computerized sewing machine in the world in terms of length, with a length of 16 meters.

He added that the manufacturing of the Kiawah consumes about 670 kilograms of raw silk, dyed in black inside the complex, 120 kgs of gold threads, and 100 kgs of silver threads. — SPA