The new kiswa (dress) of the Kaaba was handed over to its caretaker Saleh bin Zain Al Abideen Al Shaibi by Saudi King’s Advisor and Mecca Governor Prince Khalid Al Faisal, according to Saudi Gazette.
The Kaaba will be dressed with its new kiswa on Dhul Hijja 9 (August 20), the day of the Arafat standing.
The kiswa is changed twice every year, once in Shaaban just before the advent of the holy month of Ramadan and on the Arafat day.
The kiswa, in black silk embroidered in gold and silver threads, is 14 metres high, 95 cms wide and 47 metres long. It is made up of five pieces of cloth, including the curtain that covers the Kaaba door, sewed together.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has mobilised during the Haj 780 consultants in various medical specialisations, 1,248 specialists, 2,718 general practitioners, 1,428 pharmacists, 3,553 nurses, 1,173 technicians and lab specialists, 198 specialists in nutrition, 5,587 administrators, 165 engineers and 1,491 ambulance drivers.