Short answer: the Kaaba is a cube-shaped stone building in the centre of al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah, about 13 to 15 metres tall (sources differ). The Quran calls it the first house of worship set up for mankind (3:96), and says Ibrahim and Ismail raised its foundations (2:127). Inside it is an empty room with a marble floor, three wooden pillars and hanging lamps. It is opened only for its washing and for invited guests, but anyone can pray in the Hijr Ismail, the low semicircle beside it, which is part of the Kaaba.
The first house of worship
إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍۢ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِى بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًۭا وَهُدًۭى لِّلْعَٰلَمِينَ ﴿٩٦﴾
Inna awwala Baitinw wudi'a linnaasi lallazee bi Bakkata mubaarakanw wa hudal lil 'aalameen
Indeed, the first House [of worship] established for mankind was that at Makkah - blessed and a guidance for the worlds.
Quran 3:96 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Imran
"Bakkah" is an old name for Makkah. The Prophet ﷺ was asked which mosque was set up first on earth. He said al-Masjid al-Haram, then al-Masjid al-Aqsa, with forty years between them (Sahih al-Bukhari 3366; Sahih Muslim 520). Many scholars explain that this refers to the first founding, before Ibrahim, since Ibrahim and Sulaiman lived far more than forty years apart.
وَإِذْ يَرْفَعُ إِبْرَٰهِۦمُ ٱلْقَوَاعِدَ مِنَ ٱلْبَيْتِ وَإِسْمَٰعِيلُ رَبَّنَا تَقَبَّلْ مِنَّآ ۖ إِنَّكَ أَنتَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْعَلِيمُ ﴿١٢٧﴾
Wa iz yarfa'u Ibraaheemul qawaa'ida minal Baitiwa Ismaa'eelu Rabbanaa taqabbal minnaa innaka Antas Samee'ul Aleem
And [mention] when Abraham was raising the foundations of the House and [with him] Ishmael, [saying], "Our Lord, accept [this] from us. Indeed You are the Hearing, the Knowing.
Quran 2:127 · Sahih International · Read Surah Al-Baqarah
The Quran also tells us Allah showed Ibrahim the place of the House and told him to purify it for those who pray and circle it (22:26). Read his story on our Ibrahim page.
Who built the Kaaba, and how often it was rebuilt
The Kaaba has been rebuilt or heavily repaired several times. The main rebuilds are well documented in the early histories of Makkah, such as al-Azraqi's Akhbar Makkah, and in the hadith.
| When | Who | What happened |
|---|---|---|
| Time of Ibrahim | Ibrahim and Ismail | Raised the foundations of the House (2:127) |
| About 605 CE, when the Prophet ﷺ was 35 | The tribe of Quraysh | Rebuilt it after flood damage. They ran short of pure (halal) funds and left out part of the north side, now the Hijr Ismail. The Prophet ﷺ settled their dispute over who would place the Black Stone by setting it on a cloth that every clan lifted together (Ibn Ishaq, Sirah) |
| 683 to 684 CE (64 to 65 AH) | Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr | Rebuilt it after fire damage in a siege, on Ibrahim's foundations, including the Hijr, with two doors at ground level, following the hadith of Aishah |
| 693 CE (74 AH) | Al-Hajjaj, for the caliph Abd al-Malik | Restored the Quraysh shape: the Hijr outside, one raised door. This is broadly the shape today |
| 1630 CE (1040 AH) | The Ottoman sultan Murad IV | Rebuilt the walls after a flood in 1039 AH damaged them |
| 1996 CE (1417 AH) | King Fahd of Saudi Arabia | A major restoration of the walls, roof and foundations |
The hadith behind Ibn al-Zubayr's choice: the Prophet ﷺ told Aishah that if her people were not so new to Islam, he would have rebuilt the Kaaba on Ibrahim's foundations with two doors (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Aishah). Imam Malik later advised the caliph not to rebuild it again, so that the House would not become a plaything of kings.
How big is the Kaaba?
Published measurements differ, because the walls are not a perfect cube and sources measure in different ways. Most give a height of about 13 to 15 metres (43 to 49 feet), and sides of roughly 10.5 to 13 metres. The door is about 2 metres above the ground, on the north-east side, and is reached by a wheeled staircase when it is opened.
| Part | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) | Eastern corner, about 1.5 m up | Where each circuit of tawaf begins and ends |
| The door | North-east wall | Of gold, installed in 1979 (1399 AH) |
| Multazam | Between the Black Stone and the door | Where pilgrims hold the wall and make dua |
| Hijr Ismail (Hatim) | North-west side, low semicircular wall | Part of the original Kaaba, open to all |
| Rukn al-Yamani | Southern corner | Touched in tawaf, not kissed |
| Maqam Ibrahim | In front of the door | The stone Ibrahim stood on, in a glass and gold case (2:125) |
What is inside the Kaaba?
People who have entered it describe a plain room:
- A floor of marble.
- Three wooden pillars holding up the roof. Some reports say two; most recent visitors count three.
- Lamps hanging from the ceiling, and plaques on the walls recording past rebuilds and repairs by caliphs and sultans.
- A closed staircase in one corner, behind a door called Bab al-Tawbah, leading to the roof.
- Cloth covering the upper walls on the inside.
- Nothing to worship. When the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah in 630 CE there were 360 idols around the Kaaba; he struck them down reciting "Truth has come and falsehood has departed" (17:81), as Ibn Masud reported in Sahih al-Bukhari, and had the pictures inside removed.
The Prophet ﷺ himself went inside after the conquest and prayed there. Bilal told Ibn Umar where he prayed, between the pillars (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Umar).
Can you go inside the Kaaba?
Not as an ordinary pilgrim. The door is opened for the ceremonial washing of the Kaaba and for invited guests, such as heads of state and visiting scholars. The washing has been held once or twice a year in recent decades. The keys have been held for centuries by the Banu Shaybah family, a role the Prophet ﷺ confirmed for them at the conquest.
There is an easier way. The Hijr Ismail is part of the Kaaba. Aishah wanted to pray inside the Kaaba, and the Prophet ﷺ took her hand and led her into the Hijr, saying: "Pray in the Hijr if you want to enter the House, for it is a part of the House" (Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi, from Aishah, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi). On Umrah or Hajj, you can pray there when it is open.
The Black Stone
"The Black Stone came down from Paradise whiter than milk, and the sins of the children of Adam turned it black."
Jami at-Tirmidhi 877, from Ibn Abbas, graded hasan sahih by al-Tirmidhi
Umar kissed the Black Stone and said: "I know that you are a stone that neither harms nor benefits. Had I not seen the Messenger of Allah ﷺ kiss you, I would not have kissed you."
Sahih al-Bukhari 1597; Sahih Muslim 1270
Umar's words answer a common question: Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or the stone. They face the Kaaba because Allah commanded it, and kiss the stone because the Prophet ﷺ did.
In 930 CE (317 AH) the Qarmatians, a radical sect from eastern Arabia, attacked Makkah during Hajj and carried the Black Stone off to their base in al-Ahsa. It was returned about twenty years later, in 951 or 952 CE (339 AH). Over the centuries it has broken into several pieces, which are now held together in a silver frame.
The kiswah: the Kaaba's black cover
The kiswah is the cloth that covers the Kaaba: black silk with verses of the Quran woven in gold and silver thread. It is replaced every year. For centuries it was made in Egypt and carried to Makkah in a procession; today it is made in Makkah at the King Abdulaziz Complex for the Holy Kaaba Kiswah. The change was long done on 9 Dhul Hijjah, while pilgrims were at Arafah; since 1444 AH (July 2022) the Saudi authorities have changed it at the start of the new Hijri year, in Muharram.
The cover has not always been black. Historians record white, red and green covers under different rulers before black became standard.
Zamzam
The well of Zamzam is about 20 metres east of the Kaaba. Its story is in Sahih al-Bukhari: Ibrahim left Hajar and the baby Ismail in the empty valley by Allah's command. When the water ran out, Hajar ran seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah looking for help, which pilgrims repeat in the sa'i. Then the angel Jibril struck the ground and water gushed out (Sahih al-Bukhari 3364, from Ibn Abbas).
- "It is blessed. It is food that nourishes" (Sahih Muslim 2473, from Abu Dharr).
- "The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for" (Sunan Ibn Majah 3062). Scholars differ on this one: al-Albani graded it sahih, others weak.
- The Prophet ﷺ drank Zamzam standing (Sahih al-Bukhari 1637; Sahih Muslim 2027, from Ibn Abbas).
Makkah facts
- Names. The Quran calls it Makkah (48:24), Bakkah (3:96) and Umm al-Qura, the mother of towns (6:92, 42:7).
- A sanctuary. "Whoever enters it shall be safe" (3:97). Fighting, hunting and cutting its plants are forbidden inside the Haram boundaries.
- Only Muslims may enter. This follows 9:28 and is Saudi law for the city of Makkah.
- Prayer there is multiplied. "A prayer in my mosque is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except al-Masjid al-Haram, and a prayer in al-Masjid al-Haram is better than a hundred thousand prayers elsewhere" (Sunan Ibn Majah 1406, graded sahih by al-Albani).
- The qibla. Every Muslim prayer faces the Kaaba (2:144). Find your direction with our qibla finder.
- The Prophet's ﷺ birthplace. He was born in Makkah, received the first revelation in the cave of Hira on the Mountain of Light, and lived there until the Hijrah to Madinah in 622 CE.
Planning Umrah?
Follow every step of Umrah, with the duas in Arabic, transliteration and English, from ihram to the final shave.
Open the Umrah guideQuestions
What is inside the Kaaba?
An empty room with a marble floor, three wooden pillars, hanging lamps, plaques recording past rebuilds, and a staircase to the roof. There is nothing to worship inside.
Can you go inside the Kaaba?
Ordinary pilgrims cannot; the door is opened only for its washing and for invited guests. But the Hijr Ismail, the low semicircle beside it, is part of the Kaaba, and praying there counts as praying inside it.
Do Muslims worship the Kaaba?
No. Muslims worship Allah alone and face the Kaaba because He commanded it (2:144). Umar said of the Black Stone that it neither harms nor benefits; he kissed it only because the Prophet ﷺ did.
Who built the Kaaba?
The Quran says Ibrahim and Ismail raised its foundations (2:127). It was later rebuilt by Quraysh (about 605 CE), Ibn al-Zubayr (683 to 684), al-Hajjaj (693) and the Ottoman sultan Murad IV (1630), and restored in 1996.
Why is the Kaaba covered in black?
The black cover is the kiswah, a silk cloth embroidered with Quran verses in gold, replaced every year. Black became standard over the centuries; earlier covers were white, red or green.
Can non-Muslims go to Mecca?
No. Entry to the city of Makkah is limited to Muslims, based on 9:28 and Saudi law. Madinah's central area around the Prophet's Mosque has its own rules.
Sources
- Quran 2:125, 2:127, 2:144, 3:96-97, 6:92, 9:28, 17:81, 22:26, 48:24. Translation by Sahih International.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1597, 1637, 3364, 3366; Sahih Muslim 520, 1270, 2027, 2473. Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Aishah (rebuilding on Ibrahim's foundations) and from Ibn Umar (the Prophet ﷺ praying inside). Sahih al-Bukhari, from Ibn Masud (the 360 idols).
- Jami at-Tirmidhi 877; Sunan Ibn Majah 1406 and 3062; Sunan Abi Dawud and Jami at-Tirmidhi on praying in the Hijr. Gradings as given by al-Tirmidhi or al-Albani.
- Ibn Ishaq, al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah (through Ibn Hisham), on the Quraysh rebuilding. Al-Azraqi, Akhbar Makkah, on the rebuilds and the kiswah.
- Encyclopaedia of Islam (Brill), entries Ka'ba and Karmati (the Qarmatians and the Black Stone).
- General Authority for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque (Saudi Arabia), announcements on the kiswah change in Muharram 1444 and on the Kaaba's door and washing.
The dates and facts on this page come from the sources listed. Where historians differ, we say so. The religious content is pending review by the scholars on our team.