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MAKKAH: Every year on the ninth or tenth day of Dhul Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar, the holy Kaaba is adorned with a new covering (kiswa) to mark the occasion of Eid Al-Adha.
Abdulhamid bin Said Al-Maliki, the deputy general president for affairs at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba Kiswa, said the new kiswa would be draped over the Kaaba on the first day of Muharram instead of the ninth day of Dhul Hijja, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year.
Making the kiswa is no easy feat. Skilled workers and technicians put in hours to precisely and immaculately create and embroider the kiswa to cover the Kaaba, which is a focal point for Muslims around the world throughout the year.
Arab News went on a tour of the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba Kiswa in Makkah to witness the fabrication of the kiswa firsthand.
The 100,000-square meter complex was previously known as the Kiswa Factory, which was established in 1928. Its name was changed to the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba Kiswa in memory of King Abdulaziz, the founder of Saudi Arabia, following a royal decree from King Salman in 2017.
Al-Maliki said the complex had witnessed many developments, such as moving from traditional manual work to an automated system.
The kiswa is made from scratch at the complex, starting by procuring silk and cotton threads that are tested in its laboratory for quality.
Laborers drape a new kiswa, the protective cover that engulfs the Kaaba, made from black silk and gold thread and embroidered with Qur’an verses, in Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Makkah. (AFP)
These threads are dyed and woven into the cloth with the help of high-end machines. After this process, the fabric undergoes vigorous physical tests to ensure its strength and durability to withstand all kinds of environmental factors throughout the year.
Ahmed Al-Sulami, a quality analyst at the laboratory, said: “We are testing the tensile (strength) and elongation and the effect of light on the dyes. The tensile strength must be more than a thousand-kilo force.”
The 658 square-meter kiswa is made from 670 kilos of black silk. It consists of 47 silk pieces stitched together by special machines.
“The sides of the Kaaba are not equal and are not considered a cube of symmetrical lengths. Each side of the Kaaba cube features a different length and width,” said Salman Al-Luqman, who has been head of the textile department at the complex for around 40 years.
The kiswa features the names and attributes of Allah: Ya Allah, Ya Mannan, Ya Dayyan, Subhanallahi Wa Bihamdihi Subhanallahil Azeem, and La ilaha illallah Muhammadur Rasulullah.
Al-Luqman told Arab News: “In the first stage, the threads are wound on bobbins of the required length. After that, the warping process takes place, in which the threads are collected and transferred to the weaving machine that works with the jacquard machine, which is the secret behind the texts woven on the black silk fabric.”
The automated weaving department also manufactures the Ihram, white cotton that covers the kiswa when it is lifted by around 3 meters from the bottom during the beginning of the Hajj season.
The kiswa then moves to the gilding and embroidery department, where the beautiful golden belts around the Kaaba and the curtain of the door are handmade with precision.
Sami Muzayyan, the department supervisor of kiswa gilding and embroidery, told Arab News that over 50 skilled artisans and embroiderers, aged between 23 and 60, hand embroidered verses from the Holy Qur’an and other prayers with 100 kilos of pure silver and 120 kilos of 21-karat gold-coated silver threads on 56 different pieces of silk.
Muzayyan said: “The wires are not made of pure gold because if so, it won’t be flexible enough. Rather it is made of gold-coated silver of German manufacture featuring a good level of flexibility to ease the procedure. The texts on the Kaaba are printed first according to the established manuscripts in Thuluth (a type of Islamic calligraphy) created by the previous Kaaba calligrapher Abdulrahim Amin Bukhari.”
An embroiderer sews with gold thread a verse from the Holy Qu’ran onto a replica of the kiswa. (AFP)
The Kaaba door is made of five connecting curtains featuring different Qur’anic verses and three complete surahs: Al-Fatiha, Al-Falaq and An Nas, and Quraysh.
In addition to the golden belt, the kiswa has 17 qandeels, lamp-shaped medallions with each featuring a name of Allah: Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum, Allahu Akbar, Ya Rahman Ya Rahim.
He said that the embroiderers used manasij, a traditional wooden hoop.
The white fabric is pulled between them before laying pieces of black silk on top. It is then tightened so that workers can do their embroidery. To give the embroidery texture, the letters are filled with cotton threads before being covered with gold and silver.
The kiswa is distinguished by three things: “Makkah Al-Mukarramah” embroidered in Arabic, the year in which it will be used, and the name of the reigning king.
Over 50 skilled artisans hand embroider verses from the Holy Qur’an and other prayers on the kiswa using pure silver and gold-coated silver threads on 56 different pieces of silk. (AFP)
It takes eight to 10 months to finish all the embroidery. Once completed, the silk pieces are collected, stitched together, and gilded. All parts of the kiswa are stored in special warehouses at the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques and can be used only after permission from King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
The complex will soon become a cultural attraction and create more job opportunities.
“We are working closely with the general president of the complex Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Sudais to develop programs, initiatives, and projects which will result in making the complex a cultural landmark and a point of attraction for all those coming to Makkah, so visitors from all over the world can enjoy a rich experience,” Al-Malki said.
The complex is working on using artificial intelligence to enrich the visitor experience through robots that will assist visitors in different languages by explaining the origin of the kiswa, the choice of Qur’anic verses, and calligraphy.
Al-Maliki also said that some initiatives would focus on women’s empowerment and training Saudi women to participate in the manufacture and embroidery of the kiswa in the future.
The complex will also soon launch a restoration center, where different pieces of the kiswa can be restored.
It is the cover of the holy Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Every year on the 9th or 10th day of Dhul Hijja, the 12th and final month of the Islamic calendar, the Kaaba is adorned with a new covering to mark the occasion of Eid Al-Adha. This year, however, authorities have decided that the new kiswa would be draped over the Kaaba on the first day of Muharram, marking the beginning of the new Islamic year. The 658 square-meter kiswa is made from 670 kilograms of black silk, consisting of 47 silk pieces stitched together by special machines.
JEDDAH: Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Nayef Al-Hajraf stressed the importance of convening the Jeddah Security and Development Summit, which kicks off in the Red Sea port city on Saturday. The two-day summit is being held at the invitation of King Salman, with the participation of the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, along with US President Joe Biden who is currently on an official visit to the Kingdom. Al-Hajraf said that the summit represents a regional and international platform to address security issues, challenges, areas of development and aspirations, and to integrate efforts toward enhancing stability and prosperity in the region and the world, especially in light of the accelerating challenges it is witnessing at all levels and fields.
GCC Secretary General: #Jeddah Security and Development Summit is an Opportunity to Furnish a Common Understanding to Deal With Security and Stability Challenges#GCC pic.twitter.com/6V7aBMUD9v — مجلس التعاون (@GCCSG) July 15, 2022 He praised the Kingdom’s initiative, led by King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to call for the summit, which reflects its pioneering role in chairing the current session of the GCC Supreme Council for this year. He stressed the GCC’s belief in its constructive and pivotal role as a basic pillar of security and stability in the region and as a leading model for comprehensive development, an engine for the economy, and a partner toward the future by strengthening its regional and international position and presence. Al-Hajraf expressed his aspiration that the summit would represent the “start of a new phase based on a common understanding of dealing with security and stability challenges and collective action, and to cooperate in the areas of development and prosperity to achieve common goals and build the future.”
GCC Secretary General: #Jeddah Security and Development Summit is an Opportunity to Furnish a Common Understanding to Deal With Security and Stability Challenges#GCC pic.twitter.com/6V7aBMUD9v
NEW YORK CITY: On US President Joe Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia, he should take note of the massive social transformation underway in the Kingdom, according to American journalist and media executive Karen Elliott House.
Author of the 2012 book “On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines — and Future,” a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, former publisher of The Wall Street Journal, and former president of Dow Jones International, she has enjoyed a long relationship with the Kingdom, tracing its evolution from the early 1970s to the present day.
“It boggles my mind how much has changed for women and young people,” House told Arab News ahead of Biden’s visit, adding that the Kingdom’s transformation over the past decade alone in terms of individual rights is “staggering.”
“The very best thing President Biden can do for himself and the country, frankly, is take a walk down Riyadh Boulevard — anything that exposes him to what’s really going on in the country,” she said, reflecting on the Kingdom’s economic and social reforms.
“All these men and women and children, relaxed, having a nice time, instead of women sitting in one part of the house and men in another, young people being separated and segregated. They’re sitting together in Starbucks, just like here (in the US), working on their computers and talking.”
Although she is broadly pessimistic about the prospect of the US president changing his negative attitude toward the Kingdom, House hopes Biden will at the very least use the opportunity provided by his meetings with Saudi leaders to recalibrate and rebuild the historic relationship between the two nations.
Biden arrived in the Kingdom on Friday for talks with the Saudi leadership and other Arab leaders. Observers expect the issue of oil production to top the agenda, in light of spiraling global energy prices as a result of the war in Ukraine and the resultant Western embargo on Russian oil and gas.
Saudi Arabia and other oil producers in the Middle East have been reluctant to boost production at Washington’s behest. Biden’s tour of the region is therefore widely viewed as a charm offensive to help mend strained ties with the Kingdom.
“I personally do not expect much to come of it because I believe it is being done for the wrong reasons,” said House.
“Biden is coming for selfish reasons, acting in his own personal interest, trying to improve his sinking standing by doing something to secure oil that will help reduce the price, when his real agenda is not about easing national pain.
“I’m not saying he enjoys America having actual pain but his biggest primary goal is to help himself, not the country. And so it’s going to be, in my view, mostly a propaganda trip, not a policy trip.”
Despite her doubts about the president’s intentions, House believes it is “incredibly important that the US and Saudi Arabia rebuild security cooperation to contain and deter Iran at a time when Tehran reportedly has enough fissile material for a nuclear device, while talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal (more formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action) continue to falter.”
She added: “We should be working hard to rebuild a relationship that is absolutely in our interest, because the Iranians are doing very bad things in the region and I believe have every intention of producing a nuclear weapon. And if something transpires there, it will be a potential disaster (not only) for Saudi Arabia but the whole world.
“We have to be concerned about security in the whole world, yes, but in the Middle East and South China Sea in particular, because if we aren’t prepared to cooperate with countries like Saudi Arabia, the younger Saudi generation (of Crown Prince) Mohammed bin Salman is much more willing to cooperate with Russia and China.
“Their parents, being anti-communists, were much less willing to do so. But it is a different mindset now in Saudi Arabia. We can’t just slap the Saudis around and then expect them to salute when we need them.”
US-Saudi relations were not always this way. After US President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Abdulaziz, known in the West as Ibn Saud, on Valentine’s Day 1945 on the American cruiser USS Quincy in the Suez Canal, a close bond developed between their countries.
The two leaders are said to have made a strong impression on one another. Ibn Saud famously said he and FDR were “twins” of a sort; they were both about the same age, heads of state with grave responsibilities, farmers at heart, and stricken with poor health.
Despite their differences over the future of Palestine, the friendly atmosphere during that meeting on the Great Bitter Lake laid the foundations for a bilateral relationship that endured for decades despite conflicts and disasters.
Indeed, the personal relationships between successive US presidents and Saudi monarchs have been a key determinant in setting both the tone and substance of ties between the two countries.
In the decades immediately following the Second World War, the US and Saudi Arabia were closely allied in their opposition to the spread of communism and their support for stable oil prices and the security of oil fields and maritime shipping routes.
The nations stood shoulder to shoulder in defiance of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979 and during the war to expel the forces of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein from Kuwait in 1991.
Nevertheless, the relationship has faced many challenges along the way. It was seriously strained during the 1973 oil embargo, and again in 2001 in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on Washington and New York.
“At those times the American public was very aware of Saudi Arabia, which it isn’t at most times, and angry,” said House. “But on both of those occasions the US government worked very hard, and quietly, to keep the relationship in as good a shape as possible despite public anger. And of course, that is not the case now.”
During his 2020 presidential election campaign, Biden vowed to make Saudi Arabia a “pariah state,” in Washington and internationally, to cut off support for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen’s war against the Iran-backed Houthis.
He also severed personal links with the Saudi heir apparent, Crown Prince Mohammed, following the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi on Oct. 2, 2018, inside the Kingdom’s consulate in Istanbul. In Sept. 2020, Saudi Arabia’s Public Prosecution passed the final sentences on eight people convicted of the murder; five of them were jailed for 20 years, one for 10 years and two for seven years.
“President Biden himself has personally led the cheering squad against Saudi Arabia, when I don’t think the public is as disturbed by Saudi Arabia as the president is,” said House.
“That’s the big difference, to me, in the ups and downs in the past. Those were two big downs (the oil embargo and 9/11). But this big down is much worse and it is not led by something Saudi Arabia allegedly did, but something the president chooses to focus on and accuse mostly the crown prince of, and then tar the whole country.”
She views Biden’s snubbing of the crown prince as an insult to all Saudis.
“If the Saudi king refused to speak to President Biden, I think it would at some level insult many Americans,” she said. “In the reverse, it is even bigger because (Saudi Arabia) identifies with its leadership more than Americans do.
“So I think it has been insulting to the Saudi people that the president won’t speak to the crown prince, who day-to-day runs the country.”
House believes Biden has been keen to rebuke Saudi Arabia as a means of endearing himself to progressive members of Congress.
“I personally think it is all a part of his efforts now to appeal to progressives, the people who are deeply anti-Saudi,” she said.
“He is courting them more than reflecting his own innate or acquired views. It’s like a lot of other stuff he is doing. He’s been vastly more progressive and pro-abortion than he ever was as a senator or as vice president.”
House is well positioned to talk about the changing mindsets in Saudi Arabia, having closely monitored the nation’s evolution during frequent visits to the Kingdom. In particular, she views King Salman’s decision to bring the crown prince to the forefront of the nation’s affairs as an era-defining moment that Biden would be wise to recognize.
Saudi Arabia “was at risk of winding up like the old Soviet Union, with one elderly, infirm leader after another and then just kind of petering out because the old brothers were getting older and older, and how would they bring themselves to make the change without running out the line?” said House.
“And the great news is that King Salman did that. He brought in a young leader. And whatever people think of this young leader, he is very confident, very decisive, he has a vision and, most importantly, the time to execute it. And that’s what previous Saudi leaders, even King Abdullah, didn’t have.”
JEDDAH: Bahrain’s Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad arrived in Saudi Arabia on Friday to take part in the the Jeddah Security and Development Summit. The two-day summit will be attended by leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, and Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi, along with US President Joe Biden who is currently on an official visit to the Kingdom. Bahrain’s King Hamad is expected to arrive to attend the GCC summit on Saturday, the official BNA reported. Al-Kadhimi, who also arrived in Jeddah on Friday, held talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ahead of the summit.
MAKKAH: Khuzam Palace, one of the most important historical palaces in the Kingdom, has hosted several influential meetings between the leadership of Saudi Arabia and the US.
The palace’s first links with the US took place on May 29, 1933, when it witnessed the signing of the first agreement in the concession for oil exploration between the Saudi government, represented by Minister of Finance Sheikh Abdullah bin Suleiman, and Standard Oil of California, represented by Lloyd Hamilton.
Faisal Ibrahim Al-Shammari, writer and political analyst specializing in American affairs, said that Khuzam Palace was central to the founding of the country as it received foreign delegations during the reigns of King Abdulaziz and King Saud.
Khuzam Palace also played a prominent role in the establishment of Saudi-American relations before they became official. Special relations were established with the American private sector, represented by the launch of the Arabian-American Oil Company, which later became Aramco.
Al-Shammari added that people are mistaken if they think that the early days of Saudi -US relations were just political, noting that they also involved economic links.
He said that the relations that were established in Khuzam Palace with the American private sector played a fundamental role in strengthening political relations, noting the healthy economic relations with successive US administrations and that trade remains expansive amid large bilateral investments.
Al-Shammari stressed that Khuzam Palace represents the beginning of Saudi-American relations before the meeting of US President Franklin Roosevelt with King Abdulaziz aboard the USS Quincy.
Saleh Al-Misnad Al-Tamimi, a researcher specializing in contemporary Saudi history, told Arab News that Khuzam Palace is one of the most important historical palaces in the modern era because of its main role in shaping the building blocks of historical Saudi-American relations.
Located in Al-Nazla Al-Yamaniya in the southeast of historic Jeddah, construction began in 1928 and was completed in 1932.
“The site of the palace was chosen for the good climate of the area,” the researcher said, adding that “some say that the reason for calling the palace ‘Khuzam’ is due to the presence of the Khuzam (tulip) plant in and around it, but no source or document proves the validity of this.”
Al-Tamimi said: “If we check Arabic sources for the meaning of ‘Khuzam,’ we will find that it means the leash with which the camel is led and tied to its nose. Moreover, the repetition of the name ‘Khuzam’ for the palaces of King Abdulaziz confirms that the name does not relate to the ‘Khuzam’ plant.”
He added that the construction of the palace was completed by builders from Jeddah under the supervision of Mohammad Awad bin Laden.
“The palace was built of stone bricks and its roof was constructed using Javanese wood,” said Al-Tamimi.
“About three years later, the Egyptian National Company built annexes to it that were made of reinforced concrete, including the palace that King Abdulaziz used to receive kings, heads of state, ministers, ambassadors and senior officials,” he added.
The palace also hosted the signing ceremonies for a border agreement with Kuwait and a reciprocal memorandum with Egypt regarding construction projects on July 29, 1940. Other notable events that took place at the palace include the renewal of the Treaty of Jeddah with the British government in 1943, the signing of the Dhahran Airfield Agreement with the US, a commercial agreement with Syria, and a friendship treaty with Pakistan.
The palace’s place in Saudi history even made its way onto the national currency. “The image of the palace's main gates was printed on the Saudi banknotes in 1955,” said Al-Tamimi.
RIYADH: France was keen to further develop its position as a privileged partner in Saudi Vision 2030 megaprojects, the French envoy to the Kingdom has revealed.
Speaking at an event in Riyadh to mark France’s National Day, Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ludovic Pouille said French companies were eager to contribute to the implementation of the ambitious Saudi reform plan.
Riyadh Deputy Gov. Prince Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz was among guests attending Bastille Day celebrations at the ambassador's residence in Riyadh’s Diplomatic Quarter.
Pouille said: “This day is an opportunity to celebrate the Saudi French friendship. I would like to thank King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their outstanding role in strengthening our strategic partnership.
“The visit of (French) President Emmanuel Macron to Jeddah on Dec. 4 last year enabled us to strengthen our political dialogue and to launch very ambitious cooperation in all areas: Four intergovernmental agreements were signed in key sectors of the Saudi Vision 2030, tourism, culture, digital, and space.
“On the economic front, during the Franco-Saudi business forum held on the sidelines of the president’s visit, 28 agreements were signed between French companies and Saudi institutions, worth more than SR50 billion ($13.31 billion).
“French companies want to be privileged partners in the megaprojects of the Saudi Vision 2030 plan: NEOM, AlUla, the Red Sea Project, Qiddiya, Amaala, Diriyah Gate, and the numerous development projects in the capital, in areas covering energy and infrastructure, tourism and entertainment, arts and culture, new technologies, and innovation.
“Through partnerships with Saudi companies, French companies bring their expertise, and contribute to the creation of qualified jobs for Saudis,” he added.
The envoy pointed out that the partnership established between France and Saudi Arabia in 2018 to develop the AlUla region in a sustainable and innovative way was an example of what the two nations could achieve together. And he noted that cooperation agreements in the heritage, infrastructure, smart mobility, security, water, and agriculture sectors had been strengthened following Macron’s visit.
Pouille said: “The joint decision to create the Villa Hegra, a Franco-Saudi cultural and artistic hub, will place AlUla at the summit of contemporary creation in the Middle East. I would like to salute the exceptional cooperation between the Royal Commission for AlUla, chaired by Prince Badr bin Abdullah bin Farhan, and the French Agency for AlUla Development, headed by Gerard Mestrallet.
“AlUla, a jewel of humanity, will become a world example of the enhancement of a 1,000-year-old heritage.”
He added that the July 14 national day celebrations offered an opportunity in France and all of its territories to recognize the values of the republic: Liberty, equality, and fraternity.
“These universal values have a particular resonance this year as war strikes Europe again for the first time in decades. At a time when Ukraine has been martyred for five months under Russian bombs, France, along with its EU and NATO allies, stands by the Ukrainian people.
“We will continue to support Ukraine until the Russian troops leave and Ukraine returns to full sovereignty.
“In the context of this global crisis, which has consequences all over the world, more than ever, we are counting on the historic relationship of friendship between France and Saudi Arabia.
“Together, we will continue to build a more secure Middle East and promote the values of peace, prosperity, and solidarity that unite us,” Pouille said.
The diplomat pointed out that as a major economic power, France was similar to Saudi Arabia in launching its own France 2030 investment plan for the future development of the country, particularly to support sectors of excellence including energy, automobile, aeronautics, and space.
“The strength of our economy makes France a very attractive place for foreign investment. France has held first place in Europe for the past three years, with 21 percent of all international investments creating jobs in Europe. I hope that Saudi investors will also seize these opportunities and choose France,” he added.
On the transformation of the Kingdom, the ambassador said: “Since my arrival in Saudi Arabia, I have been particularly impressed by the dynamism of Saudi youth and society as a whole.
“This year, the easing of (COVID-19) health restrictions have coincided with unprecedented cultural and sports programming in the Kingdom. France is proud to have participated in this momentum: A very strong French delegation was present at the first Red Sea Film Festival in December, French and Saudi orchestras played together for the first time; French and Saudi hip hop dancers performed together for the first time, the first music festival brought together French and Saudi artists, French DJs were present at the MDLBeast festival, and at the Formula One Grand Prix.
“I am convinced that art, music, and sport, which are universal languages by nature, are wonderful ways of bringing us together, French and Saudi.
“In a few days, the Saudi music legend Mohammed Abdou will sing at the Paris Opera. I hope that in the future France and Saudi Arabia will cooperate more in this field, at the heart of a common message of tolerance and openness,” Pouille added.