Holy Kaaba washed

Posted on by

Governor of Makkah Prince Khaled Al-Faisal, on behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, washed the Kaaba on Saturday.

A number of Muslim scholars, government officials, dignitaries and diplomats attended the event, which takes place twice a year on the 15th of Shabaan (the month preceding the fasting month of Ramadan) and in mid-Muharram (the month after Dhul Hijjah when Muslims perform Haj).

The House of God is given a new Kiswa (covering) on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah when pilgrims proceed to Arafat for the main event of the Haj.

The washing ritual of the Kaaba begins with the performance of two raka’hs inside the cuboidal structure. The interior walls will then be cleaned with rose, oud and musk perfumes using white cloth. Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume will then be splashed on the floor and then wiped with bare hands and palm leaves.

Before entering the Kaaba to do the washing, Prince Khaled circumambulated the Kaaba seven times (Tawaf) during which he will touch the Black Stone. He will then receive the key to the Kaaba presented in a bag made of green velvet from its custodian (Bani Shayba). On entering the House of God, the prince will perform two raka’hs on a marble sheet, the spot where it is believed that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) prayed.

The washing ceremony began after the guests have exited. The marble floor and the walls were washed with Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume.

After the cleaning, the floor and the walls were dried again with white cloth and tissues. The walls are then perfumed using large quantities of oud and rose perfume. The Kaaba was then be incensed.

The Kaaba is 14 meters high from the eastern side, 12.11 meters from the western and southern sides, and 11.28 meters from the northern side. Its inside floor is laid with colored marble. Its ceilings are supported by three wooden columns, each with a diameter of 44 cm.

The structure has two ceilings, a lower one and an upper one. Its inside walls are covered with curtains made of green velvet that are changed once every three years. The top of the upper roof has a vent, which is 127 cm long and 104 cm wide to allow sunlight to enter. This vent is covered with strengthened glass and is opened during the washing ceremony. The vent can be reached via a glass staircase of 50 steps.

The door of the Kaaba is made of wood and covered with 280 kg of pure gold. It is 310 cm in height and 190 cm in width. The length of the Kaaba’s key is 40 cm. The door is erected 225 cm above ground level.

Lakki Marvat suicide attack toll rises to 99

Posted on by

PESHAWAR: The death toll from a suicide attack at a volleyball game in Lakki Marvat rose to 99, police said Sunday, as authorities struggled to cope with one of the country’s bloodiest ever bombings.

“A total of 99 people have been killed. There are 87 injured who are being treated in three different hospitals,” Bannu district police chief Mohammad Ayub Khan told foreign media by telephone from the northwest region.

Another police officer in the area, Habib Ullah Khan, confirmed the toll.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the attack, but police said the bomber came from South Waziristan, the neighbouring district where Pakistan has been waging an offensive on Taliban militants since October.

The area also neighbours North Waziristan, where suspected US drone attacks have increasingly targeted Al-Qaeda fighters and the Haqqani network, which is known for staging attacks on foreign troops in Afghanistan.

The volleyball tournament in Shah Hasan Khan village had been arranged by a local anti-Taliban militia, whom police suspect may have been the target.

“We have arrested 41 suspects and are interrogating them… This village is adjacent to the Bhitni area of South Waziristan and the bomber came from that area,” the district police chief told media.

Medics at the hospital in the nearby town of Lakki Marwat said they were short of medicine and beds, overwhelmed with casualties.

“Even now the injured are under going treatment on the hospital floor. Some have brought their own beds,” Doctor Usman Ali told media by telephone.

“My daughter died because of the poor facilities in the hospital. There was no bed, no medicine and not even the X-ray machine was working,” shopkeeper Riaz Khatok told media from the hospital.

“There was nowhere else in Lakki Marwat to take the wounded. Most of the dead died because of bleeding,” he added.