The Kiswa Factory of the Holy Ka'aba

This guide to the Kiswa Factory in Mecca follows the one hundred fifty master craftsmen who spend eleven months a year building the vast black silk covering for the Kaaba, panel by panel, verse by verse. You'll hear about the astonishing quantities of silk, silver and gold thread that go into it, and the seven stages of dyeing, weaving and hand embroidery behind it. The guide also traces the craft's journey from Egypt, where the Kiswa was once made and carried to Mecca by caravan, to the factory King Abdulaziz built to bring it home.