Embroidery of Kiswa exhibited in British museum

Visitors of the British Museum will have noticed a unique demonstration of the textile weaving by Hassan Alwany, the master weaver from Dar al-kiswa in Mecca, revealing the art of producing the richly embroidered textiles that are used to cover Kaaba the holiest shrine of Islam.

The demonstration skills takes place alongside the exhibition: "Hajj: journey to the heart of Islam" organized the Briitish museum in partnership with King AbdulAziz public library.

The master Alwany with more than 30 years experience meticulously laces the needlework to produce a breath taking artwork with such a precision.

Alwany pointed that it is a hard work on eyes and back by sitting for too long, but I praise Allah for honoring to do this work that many people hope to do.

People have shown great interest to know the stages of making the silky Kaaba cover. The embroidery works is the most visible features of the Kiswa that involve using gilded silver and gold wire threads. It is a manual operation executed in such design and Arabic calligraphic patterns by craftsmen of high skill and artistic taste.

The director of Islamic centre Dr. Ahmed Dubayane said: embroidering this piece of Kaaba kiswa in front of visitors is a rare opportunity in London, as you really have to go the factory to know how it is made.

Embroidering the embossed calligraphic style of some verses of the Holy Quran with different kind of stitches on this silky piece of cloth is a part of a long process that take 10 months or more before the Kiswa is ready to put on the Kaaba every year on the 9th of dhul Hijja when pilgrims stand on Arafat.