Kaaba
Black-draped shrine
The Kaaba is the cube-shaped stone building at the center of Islam's most sacred mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Muslims worldwide face the Kaaba during prayer, and pilgrimage to it constitutes the hajj—one of Islam's five pillars.
The structure is draped in black cloth embroidered with gold Quranic verses.
Also spelled Ka'ba or Caaba.
Islam's most sacred city
- Masjid al-HaramSacred mosque in Mecca
- Grand MosqueIslam's largest sacred building
- Saudi ArabiaGulf kingdom, largest Arabian state
- MedinaSacred Arabian burial site
First Hebrew patriarch
- IshmaelCast-out firstborn son
- HagarSarah's Egyptian servant
- pre-IslamicBefore Muslim civilization
- idolsObjects of fervent admiration
Muhammad · purification · rebuilding · Ibrahim · revelation · sanctuary · treaty
Address to deity
- salatIslamic obligatory prayer
- prostrationUtter physical or mental depletion
- facingDirected toward something
- orientationPosition relative to surroundings
devotion · supplication · reverence · veneration · sacred · holy · sanctity · blessed
Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca
- minaAntique monetary measure
- pilgrimReligious journey-taker
- circumambulationRitually encircling sacred object
- white garmentsPale-hued clothing
Decorative stitching using metallic thread
- doorHinged room barrier
- cornersWhere edges converge
- marble floorPolished stone ground covering
- foundationUnderlying support structure
granite · drape · calligraphy · covering · reconstruction
Mecca
Islam's most sacred city
- Masjid al-HaramSacred mosque in Mecca
- Grand MosqueIslam's largest sacred building
- Saudi ArabiaGulf kingdom, largest Arabian state
Medina · courtyard · clock tower · expansion
Abraham
First Hebrew patriarch
- IshmaelCast-out firstborn son
- HagarSarah's Egyptian servant
- pre-IslamicBefore Muslim civilization
Muhammad · idols · purification · rebuilding · Ibrahim · revelation · sanctuary · treaty
prayer
Address to deity
- salatIslamic obligatory prayer
- prostrationUtter physical or mental depletion
- facingDirected toward something
orientation · devotion · supplication · reverence · veneration · sacred · holy · sanctity · blessed
hajj
Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca
- minaAntique monetary measure
- pilgrimReligious journey-taker
- circumambulationRitually encircling sacred object
gold embroidery
Decorative stitching using metallic thread
- doorHinged room barrier
- cornersWhere edges converge
- marble floorPolished stone ground covering
foundation · granite · drape · calligraphy · covering · reconstruction
- Islamic Practicesalat, hajj, zakat, Ramadan, prayer rug
- MeccaMasjid al-Haram, Hajj, pilgrims, circumambulation
- Mosquesmasjid, minarets, minaret, prayer hall, prayer rug
- Saudi ArabiaRiyadh, Mecca, Makkah, Medina, Madinah
- Middle EastIraq, Baghdad, Cairo, Iran, Jordan
- ArabiaSaudi Arabia, Mecca, Medina, Riyadh, hajj
KaabaVatican
Papal city-state
St. Peter's Basilica · Western Wall · Temple Mount · Golden Temple · Varanasi