Kaaba

The Kaaba (Arabic: الكعبة‎ al-Kaʿbah, "The Cube"), also known as al-Kaʿbah l-Mušarrafah (الكعبة المشرفة; "The Noble Cube"), al-Baytu l-ʿAtīq (البيت العتيق; "The Primordial House"), or al-Baytu l-Ḥarām (البيت الحرام; "The Sacred/Forbidden House") is a cuboid building in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and is one of the most sacred sites in Islam.

Masjid al-Haram, the most sacred mosque (masjid) in Islam, is built around the Kaaba. Muslims are expected to face the Kaaba during prayers, no matter where they are. From any given point in the world, the direction facing the Kaaba is called the Qiblah.

One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so. Multiple parts of the Hajj require pilgrims to walk seven times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise direction (as viewed from above). This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah (lesser pilgrimage). However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj, when about 6 million pilgrims gather to circle the building on the same day.