In the world today there is not one place that is the shrine of a huge number of believers of different religions. One of these places is the center of the main mosque in the city of Mecca (Saudi Arabia), called the Kaaba.
What is Kaaba
The Kaaba itself is not the name of a mosque. This is a cubic structure with a height of 13.1 meters. It consists of Meccan black granite and stands on a marble base. The building is located in the center of the main Muslim mosque, Masjid al-Haram.
The word "masjid" from Arabic is translated as "the place of prostrating prostrate", and the literal translation of the full name of the temple - "Forbidden (Reserved) Mosque." This phrase can be found in the Qur'an 15 times. This is a huge building, which was constantly reconstructed and supplemented by caliphs, sultans and Saudi kings. And its main feature is the fact that this is the place where the Kaaba is located. The area occupied by the mosque, including the Kaaba, reaches 193 thousand square meters, on which about 130 thousand Muslims can pilgrimage at the same time.
Kaaba - this is the place towards which they turn their faces when they pray. If a person is inside the mosque, then there is a designation in which side the main mosque (Kaaba) is located - a special niche in the wall called the mihrab. There is a mihrab in every Muslim mosque around the globe.
One of the most important Muslim rites is the Hajj - a tour of the pilgrims around the Kaaba.
How the Kaaba appeared
Every Muslim in the world knows what the Kaaba is. The main shrine of Islam arose in time immemorial. When Adam, the first man on Earth, was expelled from Paradise, he could not find a place for himself and asked God to give him permission to build a building similar to a heavenly temple. In the Qur'an, this building is called "The House Visited."
In response to the prayers of Adam, Allah sent angels to the land, who indicated the construction site of the Kaaba. And this place was located directly under the heavenly temple in Mecca.
The history of the first reconstruction of the Kaaba
As already mentioned, unfortunately, the building was destroyed during the Great Flood. The Kaaba was lifted into the air, and then collapsed. Later, this Muslim shrine, modeled in the literal sense of the antediluvian times, was built by Ibrahim (or the Prophet Abraham in the Western tradition) along with his son Ismail (who, according to legend, is the forefather of modern Arabs). By the way, the second son of Abraham - Isaac - is considered to be the forefather of the Jews.
Ibrahim received help from the Archangel Gabriel (Gabriel). The Messenger of God gave one of the stones the ability to rise to any height for the construction of the Kaaba (he served Ibrahim forests). Today this stone is called "Makamu Ibrahim", which literally means "Place of Ibrahim." There is a footprint on the stone, which is attributed to Ibrahim. And it is located near the Kaaba in the form of a monument.
Later, the mosque and the shrine were repeatedly completed, the area expanded, new elements were added, such as decorated arches from Syria and Egypt, a gallery and much more.
Black Kaaba Stone
As you know, the Kaaba is a Muslim shrine, a cube-shaped building. And its main feature is the eastern corner. This is because a special black stone, which has a silver border, is mounted in this corner.
There is a legend in the Arab tradition that states that this stone was given to Adam by God himself. Initially, this stone was white (white paradise yacht). According to legend, one could see Paradise in it. But he turned black due to human sins and perversity.
This legend also says that when Judgment Day arrives, this stone will be embodied in an angel who will witness all the pilgrims who have ever touched the stone.
There is another belief, and researchers confirm this, which claims that this black stone is part of a meteorite. Because of this stone, the building is also sometimes called the "Black Kaaba."
Structural features
The doors of the cubic shrine are made of teak decorated with gilding. This model of doors was a replacement for the analogue of 1946 in 1979. The doorway is located at the height of human growth from the foundation. To get inside, a special wooden staircase with castors is used.
Each of the corners of the structure has its own name: the eastern corner is called stone, the western one is Lebanese, the northern one is Iraqi, and the southern corner is called Yemen.
The keys to the doors are kept by the Meccan family Beni Sheybe, whose members became the first guardians, according to legend, elected by the Prophet Muhammad himself.
During the pilgrimage to Mecca, the Kaaba Temple is usually closed, access is prohibited. The building is opened only for guests of honor, accompanied by the Governor of Mecca, only twice a year. This ceremony is called the “purification of the Kaaba”, it is held 30 days before Ramadan, as well as 30 days before the Hajj.
The Kaaba is cleaned with special brooms and water taken from the sacred well of Zamzam with the addition of Persian rose water.
Kiswa for Kaaba
Each year, another ritual is also performed - the production of bedspreads for the Kaaba (Kiswa). It takes 875 square meters of material with a thickness of 2 millimeters. The fabric should be embroidered with gold with sayings from the Koran. Kiswa hides the upper part of the Kaaba.
It is interesting that in the old days the previous cover was not removed, thus, from year to year the Kaisaba accumulated Kisva. But the caretakers of the temple were worried that a large number of covers could provoke the destruction of the temple, after which it was decided to replace the cover with a new one, that is, not to cover the shrine with more than one cover.
Kaaba Temple: inside shrine
Inside, the Muslim shrine is empty. Of course, there is no mihrab in it, since it is he who points to it. The construction is like a "center of the world."
The floor in the Kaaba is made of marble. There are three columns supporting the roof of the Saj wood, as well as a staircase that leads to the roof of the building. That is, the question “What is the Kaaba?” Can be answered that this is a kind of altar. Inside there are three platforms, one opposite the entrance, and the other two in the north.
The walls of the Kaaba are painted with various passages from the Koran, made of multi-colored marble. The thickness of the walls is six palms. And the temple is illuminated with the help of many hanging lamps, which are decorated with enamel.
Kaaba and religion
What is the Kaaba for a non-Muslim? This is not so much a shrine as a building of historical, architectural, scientific and tourist interest. Similarly, as Christian temples for Muslims.
It is worth noting that non-Muslims are not allowed to be either near the Kaaba or in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.
Muslims revere the Kaaba as one of the main shrines. The sanctuary is mentioned in daily prayers, and during the Hajj, pilgrims from many countries come together as the center of the whole world since the time of the Prophet.