MAKKAH: The head of Indonesia’s Hajj Mission, Mohammed Hanif, and his accompanying delegation on Monday visited the King Abdulaziz Complex for Manufacturing Kaaba Kiswa. Faisal bin Saleh Madani, the complex’s director general, welcomed the visiting party prior to the delegation receiving a presentation on the manufacturing and repair processes. Hanif praised the Saudi government for its ongoing efforts in serving the Two Holy Mosques, and pilgrims, while ensuring the making of the Kiswa that is carried out by a team of 200 Saudi technicians. At the end of the visit, souvenirs were exchanged. This year, in a change from tradition, the Kiswa was replaced on the night of the new Islamic year of Muharram 1, 1444, or Saturday, July 30. Around 670 kilograms of raw silk is dyed black at the complex. The Kiswa is decorated with Quranic verses embroidered onto the cloth with 120 kilograms of 21-karat gold thread and 100 kilograms of silver thread. The cost of making a new 850-kilogram Kiswa is estimated to cost SR25 million, or over $6.5 million, making it the world’s most expensive covering.