Door of 280 kg gold…, unknown story behind door of Kaaba in Mecca, it was made before Prophet Mohammad…

Different rulers have made changes accordingly.

Riyadh: The Kaaba, located in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is a highly sacred place for Muslims around the world. Muslims going for Hajj feel fortunate just to see the Kaaba and touch its wall.

Like Mecca, the history of the Kaaba’s door is also very old. The grandeur of the current door of the Kaaba can be gauged from the fact that it is made of 280 kilograms of gold. However, initially, the door of the Kaaba was made of wood.

From the time of Hazrat Ibrahim to the present, Saudi kings have shown interest in the door of the Kaaba. Different rulers have made changes to the door of the Kaaba from time to time. According to a report by Al Arabiya, the Kaaba was built by Hazrat Ibrahim about 5,000 years ago.

Historians say that when the Kaaba was built, it had neither a door nor a roof. At that time, only walls were constructed. According to the biography of Ibn Hisham, the first door for the Kaaba was made by King Tubba. This was long before the time of Prophet Hazrat Muhammad.

Tubba was the first to cover the Kaaba. Al-Azraqi wrote in his book ‘Akhbar Makkah’, citing Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, ‘King Tubba was the first to cover the Kaaba. He ordered the chieftains of the Jurhum tribe to make the door of the Kaaba. The wooden door made by Tubba remained until the time of Islam and the early days of Islam. It was replaced by Abdullah ibn al-Zubair with a door that was 11 hands long. Historians state that after deterioration over time, during the era of Abdullah ibn al-Zubair, the door was rebuilt to a length of six hands.

During the time of Murad IV (in 1045 AH), the door of the Kaaba was replaced again. This time, 200 pounds of silver were used in the door and it was gilded. This was the first door to use gold and silver. This door remained until 1356 AH.

Three centuries later, the founder of Saudi Arabia, King Abdulaziz Al Saud, had a new door made in 1363 AH. He was informed that the old door had started to shake, after which the decision was made to replace it. This is recorded in the historical documents of the King Abdulaziz Publishing House. The door made by King Abdulaziz took three years to prepare. Its base was made of metal, on which two wooden panels were placed. It was decorated with silver and copper and then gilded.

The current door is made of 280 kilograms of gold made by jeweller Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr on the orders of King Khalid bin Abdul Aziz. This door contains about 280 kilograms (99.99 purity) of gold. Apart from the value of this gold, the total cost of the door was 13,420,000 Saudi riyals. Its construction began in 1398 AH and was completed in 12 months.

The oldest door of the Kaaba is one of Saudi Arabia’s historical and archaeological artefacts. The Saudi General Authority for Tourism and National Heritage showcases it worldwide to represent Saudi Arabia’s history and culture. The door of the Kaaba is housed as a rare artefact in the Louvre Museum in Abu Dhabi.