The Kaaba
Is a cuboidal building in Mecca
Saudi Arabia, and is the most sacred site in Islam.
The building predates Islam, and, according to Islamic tradition,
the first building at the site was built by Abraham.
The building has a mosque built around it, the Masjid al-Haram.
All Muslims around the world face the Kaaba during prayers,
no matter where they are.
One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every capable Muslim to perform
the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. Multiple parts of the Hajj
require pilgrims to walk several times around the Kaaba in a counter-clockwise
This circumambulation, the Tawaf, is also performed by pilgrims during the Umrah .
However, the most dramatic times are during the Hajj,
when two million pilgrims simultaneously gather to circle the building on the same day.