The Kaaba is the black-draped cube at the center of Mecca’s Masjid al-Haram and Islam’s principal direction of prayer.
Located in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the Kaaba is a roughly cubical stone building around which Muslims perform the tawaf during pilgrimage. Muslims around the world face the Kaaba, known as the qibla, during the five daily prayers. The building is covered by the kiswah, a richly embroidered black textile that is replaced annually.
Islamic tradition identifies the Kaaba as having been built by Ibrahim and Ismail, although its pre-Islamic history includes worship by Arabian tribes. The Qur’an presents it as the first house established for worship of God. The Black Stone is set into one corner, but it is not the building itself; this distinction is a common source of confusion.
The Kaaba stands within the Great Mosque of Mecca, which has expanded dramatically over many centuries. During the Hajj and Umrah, pilgrims circle the Kaaba seven times as part of the pilgrimage rites.