Lot 305 A GILT METAL-THREAD EMBROIDERED KISWAH FRAGMENT, MADE FOR THE HOLY KA'BA, SAUDIA ARABIA 20TH CENTURY

Of rectangular form, embroidered in gilt-metal thread on a black silk ground, this panel features a central cartouche inscribed in thuluth script, surrounded by intricate arabesque motifs.
Dimensions: 68 × 85 cm
Inscription: Ya Hayyu Ya Qayyum — “O Ever-Living, O Sustainer of all existence”

Catalogue note:
This embroidered silk panel, known as a Qandeel, is a fragment of the Kiswah—the ceremonial black cloth that drapes the Kaaba in al-Masjid al-Haram, Mecca. Traditionally placed at one corner or above the door of the Kaaba, the Qandeel bears Qur’anic inscriptions and the names of Allah, symbolizing divine light and spiritual reverence.