Holy Kaaba to be draped with a $5-million covering  | December 13, 2007

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The Kaaba, a cube-shaped structure honoured by Muslims as the house of God, will be covered soon with a new 670-kg black silk blanket as part of the annual preparations for the holy Muslim Haj (pilgrimage), reports said Thursday.

The Kaaba cover, referred to as a 'kiswa' in Arabic, is made of black silk and adorned with phrases in praise of God, ornamented with 150 kg of gold and silver thread.

The 14-metre-long cloth has a gilded 95-centimetre belt along the top containing verses from the Koran in Arabic calligraphy within an arabesque frame.

Costing about $5.36 million, the kiswa took a whole year to produce in a specialised factory.

The Haj officially starts on December 19.