Kaaba

The Kaaba inmosque known as Masjid al HaramMakkahone ofholy placesIslam. It issmall building inshape ofcube. The structutre50 ft. high (15.24 m),shorter wallsabout 35 ft(10.67 m) andlongest walls40 ft.(12.19 m). Itcovered by black silk cloth, known asKiswa, whichreplaced yearly [1] [1]. It containsHajar el Aswad ("Black Stone"), whichpresumed by most sourcesbemeteorite remnant.

AttimeMuhammad, his tribe,Quraysh wascharge ofKaaba, which was at that timeshrineArabic pagan gods. Muhammad, preachingdoctrinesone God (called Allah) andthreat ofDayJudgment, did not at first have much success incityMakkah.

The Quraysh persecutedharassed him continuously,he was forcedflee. On his return fromHijra,Kaaba was re-dedicated astempleAllah.

Accordingtradition,Kaaba was built byprophet Ibrahim (Abraham)his son Ishmael.

The Qiblaprayer

The Qibla,any pointreference onEarth, isdirection ofKaaba. In Muslim religious practice, supplicants must face this directionprayer. It should be noted that Muslims do not worshipKaaba or its contents, any more than Christians worship churches or crosses;Kaabasimplyfocal pointprayer.

The Qibla points alongshortest path toKaaba. BecauseEarthapproximately spherical, this path will begreat circle such as airplanes fly. In ancient times, Muslims traveling abroad used an astrolabefindQibla.

Inearly yearsIslam, Muslims usedpray towards Al-Masjid al AqsaJerusalem (and thus it's calledFirst ofTwo Qiblas). Afterreturn fromHijra, Muslims startedpray towardsKaabaAl-Masjid al HaramMecca.