Black Beauty

There are some things in life that are hard to explain! Like- some unique people you meet or some unique experiences you have.

There was something about the postcard that my friend gifted me in the 5 or 6th grade- it touched me so much that I cannot forget that moment, even though I have long forgotten his name. To say the least, he was one of the craziest kid in the class; always ranking top on the principal's hit-list. We weren't best friends exactly, and the word 'enemy' didn't exist at that point in life.

But when he permanently left town giving me a very beautiful night-photograph of the 'Kaaba'-I was touched. For the first time in all those years I had known him, I felt closer. I don't know why he chose me to have the best card out of the whole pile he had; but I cherished it for years!

I am sure- that the slightly dog-eared card will still be sitting around in one of my treasure chests from those childhood days. I forgot his name, never kept track of him but have always remembered him whenever I saw a picture of the Kaaba. Hard to explain ... hmm? And I have never ever found another picture of the Kaaba that can beat that postcard!

Next week is Hajj- time for the annual pilgrimage to the Kaaba.

The Kaaba is a large masonry structure roughly the shape of a cube. (The name "Kaaba" comes from the Arabic word meaning cube). It is made of granite from the hills near Mecca. The structure is approximately 15 m (50 ft) high, 10 m (35 ft) wide, and 12 m (40 ft) long. It is covered by a black silk cloth decorated with gold-embroidered calligraphy. This cloth is known as the kiswah; it is replaced yearly.

The Qibla, for any point of reference on the Earth is the direction of the Kaaba. Muslims all over the world face this direction during their prayers. The global coordinates of the Kaaba are 21° 25′ 24″ N, 39° 49′ 24″ E. It should be noted that Muslims do not worship the Kaaba or its contents any more than Christians worship churches or crosses; the Kaaba is simply a focal point for prayer.

Excerpts from Wikipedia.com. Image courtesy: www.weltgebetsuhr.de/.../original/kaaba-02.html
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An unfortunate update: Thursday Jan 05, 2006. BBC report today.