Throughout the ages, Egypt had the honour of being the
country where the Kiswa (the embroidered black cloth covering the
Kaaba) had been manufactured. The Kiswa had been made in Egypt
– renowned for manufacturing such a textile - from the Pre-Isla
mic
Age down to the Islamic Age and throughout the successive Arabic
and Islamic historical stages. The Kiswa was looked at as a
political, military, and civilizational emblem for it was an emblem
of sovereignty in both the Arab and Islamic Worlds. The Mamluki
sultans had endeavored to achieve such a status since the very
beginning of their being in power and the rulers of Egypt. The
Mamluki sultans had maintained the hounor of having this dignified
religious emblem and they were involved in conflicts with other
powers just to maintain their patronage of this holy emblem which
denotes political, military, and cultural sovereignty.
