The History of the Holy Kaaba

Muslims from anywhere in the world turn towards the Kaaba when performing the prayer, and the pilgrims circle around it seven circuits counterclockwise to mark the start of the rituals of Hajj. It is the Holy Kaaba that takes the place of the heart in the Grand Mosque in Makkah.

There were many stories about who built the ancient house for the first time, while the Noble Qur’an documented the actions of the Prophet Abraham and his son Ismail in raising the foundation of the house on the basis of what was before it, in compliance with the divine command.

Today, the height of the Kaaba is 15 meters, and the dimensions of its width vary according to each side, as it is 12 meters and 11 cm wide on the western side. As for the width of the eastern side of the Kaaba, it is 12 meters and 84 cm, and the width of the southern side is 11 meters and 52 cm, while the width of the northern side is 11 meters and 20 cm.

Just as the current shape of the Kaaba was not the same as that which was done by the Prophet Abraham, the ancient house passed through successive ages under circumstances that required its demolition and rebuilding anew, including:
Quraysh’s rebuilding of the Kaaba in the pre-Islamic era.
Reconstructed by Abdullah bin Al-Zubair.
Building Al-Hajjaj bin Yusuf Al-Thaqafi during the reign of the Umayyad Caliph Abdul Malik bin Marwan.
And finally, the construction of the Ottoman Sultan Murad IV in 1630 AD, which is the current form of the Kaaba.

Likewise, the Kaaba has four pillars, each corner of which has a meaningful name. There is the Iraqi Corner, and the Shami next to the Yemeni Corner, in addition to the Black Stone Corner, in which the stone itself is located, and close to it is the door of the Kaaba that opens twice a year, without forgetting Ismail’s Stone, which is part of the Kaaba itself.

Later, the Kaaba witnessed additions to it, such as the dressing that changes once a year on the morning of Arafah, corresponding to the ninth of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, in addition to the mizab and the Shatherwan.

The door of the Kaaba, and after it had been open for a long time irregularly, which had damage and dangers to the lives of people as a result of crowding on it, it was necessary to open only twice a year, as for the first time in the month of Shaban to wash it, and the second time to wash it as well and to hang its new clothing.