The Ka'aba Building & Dimensions

Dimensions & Building of Ka'aba

Historians give different dimensions for the Ka'aba, because they used different measures of a cubit. Some used the length of an arm, and others used metal cubit. In Tariekh Al-Ka'aba, it was mentioned that the length of a human arm ranges between 46 to 52 cm. The cubit is 56.5 cm. Recently, it was said that the length of an arm is 48 cm. Ibrahim Rifaat mentioned in his book Miratul Haramain, that he measured the Ka'aba using  a meter and found that it is 15 meters height. Its northern, western, southern and eastern widths are 9.2, 12.15, 10.25 and 11.88 meters respectively.

The author of Tariekh Al-Ka'aba Al-Muazamah disagreed with Ibrahim Rifaat about the height and said, "It seems that Ibrahim Rifaat did not actually measure the ka'aba height, but he estimated it instead."

The Hajj Research Centre of Umm Al-Qura University at Makkah, studied the movement in the circumambulation area. It came out with the following measures for the Ka'aba and the Hajar Ismail:

1. The Distance from the black corner to the Al-Rukn Al-Shami, including the Ka'aba door is 11.6 meters.
2. From Al-Rukn Al-Yamani to the western corner is 12.04 meters.
3. From the Black Corner to Al-Rukn Al-Yamani is 10.18 meters.
4. From Al-Rukn Al-Shami to the western corner is 9.90 meters.

The height of Ka'aba was 4.32 meters at the time it was built by Ibrahim (pbuh). It was 8.64 meters when it was built by Quraish, and finally it was 12.9 meters when it was built by Abullahi Ibn Al-Zubair. The Caliph Abdul-Malik Ibn Marwan restored the Ka'aba's height in his time as it was.

                                  

The height of the ka'aba mentioned by Ibrahim Rifaat Pasha for its building by Al-Hajjaj seems to be inaccurate. he seems to be reporting the author of Miratul Haramain when he said that the height is 15 meters.

The ka'aba Building

The Ka'aba was built and rebuilt twelve times by the following builders:

• The Angels;
• Adam;
• Shaith;
• Ibrahim (pbuh);
• Amalekites;
• Jarham;
• Qusai;
• Abdul Mutalib;
• Quraish tribe;
• Abdullahi Ibn Al-Zubair;
• Al-Hajjaj;
• The Ottoman Sultan Murad Khan;

                                 

(Eid Al-Fitr Prayers in 379 A.H. (1959 E.C). 

The minarets and the domes of Al-Mahkama Gate and the Al-Ziyadah Gate are seen.)

Historians do not agree completely about the history of building the ka'aba. However, the definite  history is that the main builders are three, namely, Ibrahim, the Quraish tribe, and Abdullahi Ibn Al-Zubair and Al-Hajjaj. Ibrahim (pbuh) building is mentioned in the Quran. Quraish tribe's building is mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ Hadith as reported by Al-Bukhari, Ibn Al-Zubair and Al-Hajjaj & Sultan Murad Khan II building is agreed upon by historians. We then can conclude that these twelve builders are those who gave a service to the Ka'aba either by maintaining or rebuilding it. They all have the honor of contributing to the House of Allah. Moreover, they are the three builders who built it on foundations. Al Hajjaj, for example, removed the additional part built by Ibn Al-Zubair and restored the part built by Quraish. he did not build on the Ka'aba foundation.

                            

(The external facade of the Holy Masjid in Makkah before the first 

Saudi expansion and the Ajyad Gate and its Minarets come into the view)