The Kaaba, also referred as Kaaba Muazzama (Grand Kaaba), is a building at the center of Islam’s most sacred mosque, Al-Masjid al-Haram, in Mecca, al-Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred muslim site in the world.

It is considered the “House of Allah”. Wherever around the world, Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba 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 an anti-clockwise direction. Pilgrims also perform  tawaf during the umrah . 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 1,379,531.In 2014, Saudi Arabia provided Hajj permits for 1,389,053 international pilgrims and 63,375 for residents.

Pictures from inside Kaba:

The building is opened twice a year for a ceremony known as “the cleaning of the Kaaba.” This ceremony takes place roughly thirty days before the start of the month of Ramadan and thirty days before the start of Hajj.

The keys to the Kaaba are held by the Bani Shayba (بني شيبة) tribe. Members of the tribe greet visitors to the inside of the Kaaba on the occasion of the cleaning ceremony.

Pillars and lanterns seen  inside the kaba.

The exact place as said where Prophet Muhammad(P.B.U.H) used to worship.