The Kaaba or Ka'aba
(Arabic “al-Ka-bah” "The Cube", is a cuboid building at the center of
Islam's most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia it is
also in the center of the world. It is the most sacred site in Islam. It is
considered the 'House of God' and has a similar role as the Tabernacle, Ark of
the Covenant and Temple in Judaism and Christianity. Wherever they are in the
world, Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba i.e. when performing salat
(prayer). From any point in the world, the direction facing the Kaaba is called
the qibla. The sanctuary around the Kaaba is called Al-Masjid al-Haram (Sacred
Mosque).
One of the Five
Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim who is able to do so to perform the hajj
pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Multiple parts of the hajj require
pilgrims to make tawaf, the circumambulation seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise
direction. Tawaf is also performed by pilgrims during the umrah (lesser
pilgrimage). However, the most interesting times are during the hajj, when
millions of pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day. In 2013,
the number of pilgrims coming from outside the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to
perform hajj was officially reported as 1,379,531In 2014, Saudi Arabia reported
having completed Hajj permits for 1,389,053 international pilgrims and 63,375
for resident. information taken from ( references www.google.com, www.wikipedia.com
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