The almost square picture has several men standing on the steps leading into the Kaaba, they start at the bottom center of the picture and go up perhaps 7 stairs. Some men are dressed in military uniforms and some wearing white thobes (long loose robes) with red and white ghutras or all white qhutras (head scarves). Four men have their thobes covered by long black or brown cloaks known as bisht or mishlah. At the bottom of the picture you can see the large grayish blocks with tan mortar that is now the exterior of the Kaaba. About one-third up the picture is a white stripe which is the bottom of the Kiswa (the cloth that covers the Kaaba). The doorway into the Kaaba is almost in the middle and is lined with white on both sides and a curved white arch is above. The Kiswa is form fitting the doorway and the Kaaba so you can see a rolled up flap above the door that would be dropped to cover the door when needed. Above the white bottom strip of the Kiswa and to the top of the picture is the black cloth that makes up the Kiswa. At the top of the photo you can see some of the gold embroidered band that is Arabic lettering spelling out text from the Quran.


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The washing of Kaaba is usually attended by several Saudi princes, ministers, men of religion and members of the Arab and Islamic diplomatic missions accredited to Saudi Arabia. Some of the men are wearing a Bisht or Mishlah which are long brown or black cloaks trimmed in gold and worn over a thobe.

This photograph is part of the Tour Saudi Arabia Photo Gallery

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