Sitara (textile)

A sitara or sitarah (Arabic: سِتَارَة [si.taː.ra] ^ⓘ) is an ornamental curtain used in the sacred sites of Islam. A sitara forms part of the kiswah, the cloth covering of the Kaaba in Mecca. Another sitara adorns the Prophet's Tomb in the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi mosque in Medina. These textiles bear embroidered inscriptions of verses from the Quran and other significant texts. Sitaras have been created annually since the 16th century as part of a set of textiles sent to Mecca. The tradition is that the textiles are provided by the ruler responsible for the holy sites. In different eras, this has meant the Mamluk Sultans, the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire, and presently the rulers of Saudi Arabia. The construction of the sitaras is both an act of religious devotion and a demonstration of the wealth of the rulers who commission them.

The earliest recorded sitara was made in Egypt in 1544, during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent. Suleiman set aside the revenue of ten villages to fund the creation of textiles for the Kaaba and the Prophet's Mosque: an arrangement that continued until 1813. Replacing the textiles is one of the privileges of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, a title adopted by Mamluk, Ottoman, and Saudi Arabian rulers.

Sitaras for the Kaaba were part of a set of textiles made annually at a dedicated workshop in Cairo, the Dar al-Kiswa, until 1927 when the king Ibn Saud established a workshop in Mecca. At the start of the 20th century, the Cairo workshop employed more than a hundred artists and textile workers. Responsibility for transporting the textiles from Cairo to Mecca was given to a specially chosen Muslim family, for whom it was a high honour. The textiles were usually cut up and distributed once replaced. Ottoman royals and dignitaries would convert the pieces to clothing or tomb coverings.

The Kaaba, situated in the Great Mosque of Mecca, is the most holy site in Islam. It is the qibla, the point that Muslims face towards while praying. The Five Pillars of Islam include the hajj, a pilgrimage to Islam's holiest sites. One of the rites of the hajj is the tawaf which involves walking seven times around the Kaaba.

The textile coverings of the Kaaba are among the most sacred objects in Islamic art. A sitara, on average 5.75 metres (18.9 ft) by 3.5 metres (11 ft), covers the door of the Kaaba and forms part of the kiswah: the textile covering of the building. This is assembled by sewing together four separate textile panels. This sitara is also known as the burqu'. A smaller sitara covers an internal door of the Kaaba, the Bab al-Tawba. Being protected from weathering, this internal sitara is replaced much less frequently. The tradition is also more recent; the earliest documented internal sitara was in 1893. The Maqam Ibrahim (Station of Abraham) is a small square stone near the Kaaba which, according to Islamic tradition, bears the footprint of Abraham. It used to be housed in a structure with its own sitara that was replaced annually. The minbar (pulpit) within the Great Mosque has its own sitara.

Having been in contact with the holiest site of Islam, the textiles are regarded as infused with barakah (blessings). After use, they are usually split into parts to be given to dignitaries or pilgrims. Fragments of recent kiswahs adorn many of Saudi Arabia's government buildings and embassies.

The tradition of the Sultan sending a sitara to cover the Prophet's Tomb began in the 10th century. A white sitara was provided for the tomb in the 12th century by the Fatimids. Being away from direct sunlight, the Medina textiles have been replaced less frequently than the Kaaba textiles; in the 15th century, this was every six or seven years as the fabric wore out.

The basic designs of the sitara were established in the 16th century and continue to the present. The colours used have changed in different eras. The present colour scheme for the sitara of the Kaaba, in use since the early 20th century, is gold and white embroidery on a black background.