Ka`ba << KAH buh, >> also spelled Ka`bah or Kaaba, is the most sacred shrine of Islam. It is a small, cube-shaped building with a flat roof near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca. Muslims everywhere turn their faces toward the Ka`ba when they pray. The famous Black Stone, enclosed in a silver ring, is the eastern cornerstone of the Ka`ba. According to Muslim tradition, the Ka`ba was originally built by Abraham and Ishmael (also called Ibrahim and Isma’il), and the Black Stone was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel. The Ka`ba is the chief goal of the annual pilgrimage of Muslims. Pilgrims run and walk around it seven times, praying and reciting verses from the Qur’ān. They touch or kiss the stone to end the ceremony.
