MAKKAH – The Holy Kaaba's Kiswa (cover) returned to ground level on Tuesday. The annual customary tradition of lowering the Kiswa to its normal level was undertaken by the officials of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques under the direct supervision of its President Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais. Muhammad Bajouda, director general of the kiswa factory, said that the kiswa is raised to a level where pilgrims cannot touch it after a new kiswa was put on Kaaba on Arafat Day. The lower part of the cover remains raised until the departure of Haj pilgrims as a measure to protect it from damage during the tawaf (circumambulation around the Kaaba) by the pilgrims, he said. The kiswa's lowering to its original position represents the official end of the Haj season. — SPA
