Caaba (or Kaaba). A small oratory in the
middle of a large area surrounded by galleries and arcades of the Great Mosque
at Mecca. It is 38 feet long 30 feet wide, and 35 feet in height, the door
being 7 feet above the ground, and it is the holy place in the Temple, containing
the Cubical Stone, which, originally white, grieved so long for the sins
of humanity that it turned, first, opaque and, then, black. The inner Caaba,
containing the stone, is surrounded by a veil of black silk, which is opened
but three times a year, when it is approached by none but faithful Mohammedans.
The stone is claimed to have been given by Gabriel to Abraham, but according
to Syed Ahmed (History of the Holy Mecca, London, 1870), the stone is
from mountains in the vicinity of Mecca. It owes its black color to the effects
of fire and was originally one of the numerous altars used in ancient
stone-worship.
