Ghilaaf-e-Ka’aba will be changed on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah. On behalf of King Salman bin Abdulaziz, Prince Khalid Al-Faisal, Governor of Mecca, handed over the shroud to Saleh bin Zayn Al-Abidin Al-Shabi, the administrator of the Kaaba.
The cover, which is black and decorated with Quranic verses, is changed every year on the same date because the most important part of the Hajj is the waqoof of ‘Arafah when the pilgrims spend in the field of’ Arafat and the Ka’aba is not crowded.
On the occasion of Hajj, the traditional Ghilaaf of the Ka’aba is raised 3 meters and the lower part is covered with a white cotton cloth. The purpose is to keep the cassava clean and prevent it from exploding. There have been incidents in the past where pilgrims used to cut a piece of it as a blessing. Now it is forbidden.
