{"id":5892,"date":"2015-09-05T23:50:13","date_gmt":"2015-09-05T22:50:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=5892"},"modified":"2015-09-05T23:50:13","modified_gmt":"2015-09-05T22:50:13","slug":"kiswa-work-in-full-swing-as-haj-approaches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/kiswa-work-in-full-swing-as-haj-approaches\/","title":{"rendered":"Kiswa work in full swing as Haj approaches"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Kiswa\"<\/a>The time of the year has come for the annual tradition of sewing the Kiswa, the cover of the Kaaba. In a specialized factory, built as per orders of the late King Abdul Aziz in 1346 Hijri, 150 trained employees are involved in the work.
\nMohammed bin Abdullah Bajawda, director of the Kaaba Kiswa factory, said that the process includes dyeing, electric weaving, printing, embroidery and then assembling the different parts the Kiswa.
\n\u201cThe Kiswa is made of pure silk that is dyed black, and it takes about 700kg of pure silk to weave the Kiswa,\u201d he explained. Different inscriptions and expressions are woven into the fabric using verses from the Holy Qur\u2019an with gold thread.
\nThe 14-meter-long Kiswa is embroidered with 120kg of gold and 25kg of silver threads.
\nBajawda said Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais, chief of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques, and his deputy, Mohammad bin Nasser Al-Khuzaim, inaugurated the factory\u2019s new high-tech machines that were made specifically to speed up the manufacturing process.
\nThe state-of-the-art embroidery machine is a Tajma-tfmx-602, which offers the latest technology, and can sew up to 1,000 stitches per minute.
\n\u201cThe machine produces flags and emblems according to the presidency\u2019s specifications. The machine, with its two heads, contains six colors thus reducing the time needed to complete a logo or other product,\u201d he said.
\nBajawda added that factory workers make sure they take special care of the Kiswa, especially as it could be damaged or dirtied from friction and large crowds, \u201cWe have teams working around the clock to maintain and fix the Kiswa,\u201d Bajawda added.
\nHe said the Kiswa will be handed out and draped over the Kaaba at dawn on the ninth of Dhu Hijjah.
\nThe director added that the factory has become a known symbol of the two holy cities and is visited by thousands of pilgrims from around the world, \u201cMany of them express their gratitude and appreciation for the development of the factory,\u201d he said, adding that many visitors see how much effort is put in to make the Kaaba look in the most remarkable shape possible.
\nHe called upon pilgrims to protect the Kiswa and not to try to write on it or sabotage it, and most importantly to stay away from crowding so they don\u2019t tear the Kiswa.<\/p>\n

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