Makkah Gov. Khaled Al-Faisal and other dignitaries who attended the ceremonial washing of the Kaaba perform tawaf after the annual ritual on Saturday. (AN photo by Ahmed Hashad)

By BADEA ABU AL-NAJA | ARAB NEWS

MAKKAH: On behalf of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, Makkah Gov. Prince Khaled Al-Faisal led the ceremonial washing of the Holy Kaaba on Saturday using Zamzam mixed with rose water.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of prominent figures, including Sheikh Saleh Al-Hosain, head of the Presidency for the Two Holy Mosques, and Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Other dignitaries who attended the function included Haj Minister Fouad Al-Farsy, Makkah Mayor Osama Al-Bar and Abdul Aziz Al-Khodairy, deputy governor of Makkah. A number of diplomats from Muslim countries and Grand Mosque officials were also present.

The interior of the Kaaba is washed twice a year — in Muharram and Shaaban, the first and ninth months of the Hijra calendar.

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