Research+-+Kaaba

Bosworth, C. E. "Kaaba." Encyclopedia Americana. 2009. Grolier Online. 9 Nov. 2009 . We located this site on the micds database. Under general references we went to the database called Groiler online. In Groiler online we typed in "Kaaba" and this encyclopedia was the second one.
 * religious and most important shrine and holy place on earth for Muslims
 * called "the House of God"
 * Situated in an extensive, colonnaded courtyard (the Haram, or Sanctuary) in the hollow of central Mecca
 * Black Stone is set in the eastern angle of the walls and is covered by a richly embroidered brocade curtain
 * The Muslim pilgrims to Mecca come each year in the month of pilgrimage (Dhu'l-hijja) for the Hajj, or Pilgrimage
 * they circumambulate the Kaaba seven times, touching the Black Stone as they pass it
 * Muslim tradition traces it to Abraham and Ishmael
 * The Kaaba occupies a place of immense significance in the hearts of all Muslims as the place to which they pray (the //gibla,// or direction of prayer) and as the chosen place of God's revelation to humankind through the channel of Mohammed.

"The History of Kaaba." __Submission__. 9 November 2009.. This is a website we founded on Google search engine. In the search bar we typed in "Kaaba". This was the second site from the top. "The Kaaba & Black Stone." __TourSaudiarabia__. 2005. 9 November 2009. .
 * Its name is an Arabic word that means a home or a room that looks like a cube.. It is a cube shaped stone structure built in the middle of the Sacred Mosque. The Kaaba was built by prophet Abraham as a landmark for the House of God, for the sole purpose of worshipping of God alone.
 * Kaaba is the center of the circumambulations performed during the pilgrimage (hajj), and it is toward the Kaaba that Muslims face in their prayers (salat).
 * consider the stone holy and put emphasis on touching it and kissing it. The actual structure of the Kaaba has been demolished and rebuilt several times in the course of its history. Around the Kaaba is a restricted area, haram, extending in some directions as far as 12 miles, into which only Muslims may enter.

This is also a website we founded on Google search engine. In the search bar we typed in "Kaaba" and this was the fourth site from the top that came up.
 * According to the Koran, the cubic-shaped structure was built by Adam according to a divine plan. When Ibrahim (also known as Abraham) was ordered by Allah to build a Shrine for worship he uncovered the original foundation of the Kaaba built by Adam. Ibrahim with the help of his son Ismael (also known as Ishmael) erected the new shrine on the original foundation.
 * originally four walls without a roof. The Kaaba is now a cubed shaped one room structure that is about 60 feet high (18.3 meters), 60 feet wide from east to west and 60 feet from north to south. A door is fixed about 7 feet (2.1 meters) above ground level facing north east.
 * always been the dark color it is because it was burned as it fell through the atmosphere. Some Muslims believe that this stone fell from the sky during the time of Adam and has the power to cleanse worshippers of their sins by absorbing them into itselfOthers believe the stone was given to Ismael by the angel Gabriel in order to provide the cornerstone for the Kaaba. The single most important reason for kissing the stone is that Prophet Muhammad did so. No devotional significance whatsoever is attached to the stone.
 * Haji (one who has made a pilgrimage to Mecca)