The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1915-09-18
AMERICAN SILK FOR HOLY VEIL
Bids Asked by British Government
for 1893 Pounds.

for 1893 Pounds.
The British government has just
advertised for bids of silk for the
Holy Veil. This annual gift has done
more than anything else TO keep
Egypt loyal to England and deaf to
Turkey.
When Turkey sent fanatics through
out Egypt to stir up holy war" the
natives of Egypt pointed to the Holy
Veil as evidence of England's under
standing and sympathy with Maho-
mechanism.
Again the time for the making of
the veil has come, and America has
been invited to help supply the raw
silk, Of which 1,193 pounds are need
ed.
The Holy Veil is used for the cover
ing in Mecca, Arabia, of the Kalaba,
a building almost 4O-ft cube, into
the southwest corner Of which is
built small black meteroic stonie,
little larger than the size of mans
hand, reported to have been given to
Abraham by the Archangel Gabriel.
The Kal'aba is supposed to be cree
ted on the spot where Abraham offer
ed up Isaac in sacrifice. 1t is the
very central point of Mahometan
faith
The Kal'aba, except for about Is
days in the year, is covered from
sight by veil In Mahomet's life,
and for some years afterward, this
veil was made of striped Yemen
cloth.
But when the Mahometan calipns !
rose to power and wealth--such as
Harounal-Raschid of Arabian
Nights fame-it became the custom
of the caliph to present each year
marvelously beautiful brocaded silk
veil to cover the entire structure.
When the Caliphate dynasties fell
it became more and more difficult for
the Mahometans to secure this cost /
ly veil each year, and wealthy men /
secured paradise for themselves by |
making a present of such veil when ,
the old one became worn.
When England secured control of |
Egypt English diplomats showed a
wise understanding of native Gus
toms by making the Mahometans feel |
that the old days of the glories of
Egypt had returned.
They promised to give annually to
Mecca a brocaded veil to cover the |
entire building, as had been done by
caliphs of a thousand years before
Now, every year. there is specially /
woven a heavy veil of black brocaded /
silk covering nearly 5000 square feet I
of material. The lower edges are
bordered with verses from the Koran, Y
worked in gold bullion thread.
The kisma or Holy Veil is remov- /
ed from the Kafaba on the 25th day /
the annual feast, and the
building Is left bare until the 10th of |
the month succeeding. On the third
day of the feast the old kisma is cut
into small pieces and these are sold
to the faithful.
AS there are 221 100000 Mahome-
tbiiof anu tHNh 10 tSpcNlCu W IlldhG
to Mecca once in his life.
often nearly million of people gath
er for the feast Large though the
veil is, the poor pilgrims can some
times secure only few threads OF
it.
r The British government follows the
tradition of the Mahometans, and the
entire veil is made by native Egyp. \
tians who are hajii or believers who
have made the pilgrimage to Mecca.
An official of the government ac-
companies the veil till it is nearly at
its destination.
On three occasions during the last
80 years silks prepared in America |
have been used in part for the weav-
ing of the Kisma, Boston Globe.