RIYADH: The intricate black cloth covering the Kaaba will be replaced on Muharram 1, the beginning of the Hijri year, as part of an annual tradition. The Kiswa will be changed with the help of 159 technicians and craftsmen, Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday. The old Kiswa will be removed and replaced by a new one which consists of four separate sides and a door curtain. Each side will be raised separately to the top of the Kaaba in preparation for its unfolding over the old side. The new Kiswa will be attached from above and the ropes of the old cloth will then be loosened. Over 200 craftsmen and administrators work at the King Abdulaziz Complex for Holy Kaaba Kiswa in Makkah where the special cloth is produced. The complex has separate departments for dyeing, machine-weaving, hand-weaving, printing, belts, gold-plating, sewing, and assembling. The sewing and assembling department features the largest sewing machine in the world which is 16 meters long and runs on a computer system. Production of the Kiswa requires about 1,000 kilograms of raw silk which is dyed black at the complex, 120 kilograms of gold wire, and 100 kilograms of silver wire. The new Hijri year is due to start on July 7.