*One of the most watched ceremonies in the Islamic world takes place on Saturday when the Kaaba is adorned with its new Kiswa.*
In a change of tradition, the General Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques will perform the annual event on the night of the new Islamic year of Muharram 1, 1444, or Saturday, July 30.
This marks “a shift from a decades-old custom of replacing it on the eve of Arafat, as per a royal decision issued recently,” said Abdulrahman Al-Sudais, president of the body.
[image: Ghilaf-e-Kaaba]
The Kiswa, or the covering of the Kaaba, is replaced annually in a tradition observed for centuries.
For many decades the Kiswa was replaced on the morning of Dhul Hijjah 9, when pilgrims depart to the plains of Arafat. This was usually the time when the Haram was empty, to allow for the smooth replacement.
The new Kiswa will stay in place until Hajj next year.
A team of 200 Saudi technicians working at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing the Kaaba’s Kiswa, will carry out the task.