Makkah Tours

On Saturday the Albaseerah attendees headed out to visit some interesting sites around Makkah. Our first stop was the factory of the Kiswa, the black covering of the Ka’bah. The tour began at the Kiswa museum diplaying the historical kiswa pieces. Red, green, and the traditional black Kiswas embroidered with different ayaat hung throughout the hall.

We then made our way through the factory where we could see the workers embroidering the beautiful cloth. The tour begins with the last stage of the process. The designs are traced onto the black fabric, and then yellow and white threads are used to embroider the calligraphic ayaat. After that, gold and silver wire is stitched over the threads to create the look that is familiar to so many of us.

We also got to see the looms and machines used to prepare the silk. It was interesting to see the entire process from spinning thread to the gold embroidery. The Kiswa is changed every year during Hajj. This year’s Kiswah is already made, so the one we saw them working on is for next year’s Hajj insha’Allah.

Our next tour stop was the museum for the exhibition of the two holy mosques. This modest-sized museum houses artifacts from Masjid an Nabwi and Masjid al Haram from hundreds of years ago. We had the opportunity to take lots of pictures of the beautiful calligraphy on wall hangings, decorations pieces, doors, and other structures.

The last place we visited was Jabl Rehmah. When our bus came to a stop, we were greeted with over 20 camels and their drivers. The brothers and sisters enjoyed camel rides, ATVs, climbing the mountain, and even riding the camels up the mountain. On our way back to the hotel we passed by the holy sites for Hajj and some historical landmarks as well. Alhamdulillah it was a great tour and everyone enjoyed themselves.