Kabah Stairway

By the Editors of the Madain Project

The access stairway of Kaba (درج الكعبة) is a wooden staircase which is used to enter the Holy shrine situated at the heart of the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. The entry door into the Kaaba is approximately three meters above ground level. A removable stairway is needed to access the Kaaba during cleaning and for occasional visits.

Overview

The removable access staircase. Jay Bonner was contracted to design the ornament for this ceremonial portable stairway. The work was produced in carved high relief teak wood with inlaid lapis lazuli stone. Historically the wooden staircase on wheels was usually stored in the mosque between the arch-shaped gate of Banū Shaybah and the Zamzam Well.

Kaaba Stairway

Previous Structures

circa 1840 CE

Kaaba Stairway

Ottoman Era
An older set of these can be seen in the Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques' Architecture, this particular staircase dates back to the reigh of Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II, circa 1824 CE. The Spanish explorer Ali Bey el Abbassi also mentioned another, possibly the predecessor of this particular staircase in his book Travels of Ali Bey; he writes, "The wooden stairs leading to the Kaaba, which are mounted upon six brass rollers."

Gallery

Kaaba Stairway
Kaaba Stairway

See Also

References

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