The Kaaba in Mecca is the focal point Muslims face during salat.
The Kaaba is a cuboid structure at the center of the Masjid al-Haram, the Sacred Mosque. The direction of prayer toward it is called the qibla. Muslims do not worship the building; it serves as a unified orientation for prayer and as the central destination of the hajj pilgrimage.
Islamic tradition associates the Kaaba with Abraham and Ishmael and describes Muhammad’s restoration of its monotheistic purpose. The building is covered by the kiswah, a richly decorated cloth that is replaced annually. The Black Stone is set into one corner and is associated with the circumambulation ritual.
The Kaaba is often confused with the entire Sacred Mosque, but they are not the same: the Kaaba is the central structure, while the mosque surrounds it. The Prophet’s Mosque is in Medina, a separate city with a different historical role.