KAʿBAH. The Kaʿbah (cube), located in Mecca, is the shrine at the center of the Muslim world. Referred to as the "House of God," (bayt Allāh), it is the central point (qiblah) on earth toward which all Muslims face when performing daily prayers (salāt). Making pilgrimage (ḥājj) to the Kaʿbah at least once in a Muslim's life if able, is one of the major religious obligations in Islam. It is also referred to in the Qur'ān (5:95, 97), where it is called al-bayt (his house), and also masjid al-ḥaram (the sacred mosque).

The present Kaʿbah is a cubelike building made of local Meccan granite and Yemeni mortar. It is 50 feet high, 40 feet on its longest side and about 33 feet on its shorter walls. It is hollow, with a door on the long side about 7 feet above...