Makkah Emir Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah and other dignitaries come out of Kaaba after the ceremonial washing ceremony on Thursday.

On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Makkah Emir Prince Mishal Bin Abdullah washed the Holy Kaaba on Thursday.

Dr. Abdulaziz Khoja, minister of culture and information; Sheikh Abdurahman Al-Sudais, head of the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques; Sheikh Muhammad Al-Khozaim, deputy head of the presidency; Osama Al-Bar, mayor of Makkah, several other ministers, Islamic scholars, Muslim diplomats accredited to the Kingdom, as well as citizens and visitors to the Grand Mosque, took part in the washing ceremony.

Prince Mishal performed prayers in the courtyard of the Grand Mosque before entering the Kaaba.

The washing ritual of the Kaaba, which is carried out before the beginning of the fasting month of Ramadan, began with offering of two raka’a of voluntary prayers inside the cuboidal structure. The interior walls were then cleansed with rose, oud and musk perfumes using white cloth.

Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume was then splashed on the floor and wiped with bare hands and palm leaves. After the cleaning, the floor and the walls were dried again with white cloth and tissues. The walls were then perfumed using large quantities of oud and rose perfume and the House of Allah was incensed.

After the ceremony, Prince Mishal expressed his appreciation to the King, the crown prince and deputy crown prince for their interest and care for the holy sites. He said the government strives its best to improve services at the holy sites and periodically earmarks billions of riyals for their expansion to benefit pilgrims coming from all over the world.

The ceremonial washing of Kaaba is done following the example of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who washed it after entering the Kaaba at the time of the conquest of Makkah.

Meanwhile, Sheikh Abdulqadir Taha Al-Shaibi, the keeper of the Kaaba key, said he never sleeps on the eve of the Kaaba washing ceremony. Al-Shaibi said he makes sure that he gets to the Grand Mosque before Fajr prayer and stays there until the Kaaba has been washed and its door is secured.