The Kaaba, located in the center of the Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, is Islam’s holiest site. It is a cuboid stone structure roughly 50 feet high, 40 feet long on each side, and 30 feet wide. Muslims around the world pray towards the Kaaba, and those performing the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages circle the Kaaba as part of prescribed rituals.
Given the Kaaba’s immense religious significance and its exposure to natural disasters and military conflicts over 1400+ years, it is reasonable to wonder whether this sacred structure has ever sustained damage. The simple answer is yes – the Kaaba has been damaged and destroyed multiple times throughout history.
Earliest recorded damages
According to early Islamic histories, the Kaaba sustained several damages both before and after the advent of Islam in 610 CE:
- A great flood inundated Mecca in 41 AH (661 CE), weakening the Kaaba’s foundations.
- In 64 AH (683 CE), the Kaaba caught fire and burned down entirely.
- The Kaaba was struck and damaged by lightning in 650 CE.
- In 683 CE, Yazid ibn Mu’awiya’s army catapulted heated stones onto the Kaaba, burning its wooden parts.
After each of these destructive events, the rulers at the time ordered the Kaaba’s immediate reconstruction. Typically, the Kaaba was rebuilt using stones from the original structure wherever possible.
10th century CE
One of the most devastating damages to the Kaaba occurred in the 10th century CE:
- In 930 CE, the Qarmatians, an Islamic sect based in eastern Arabia, invaded Mecca. They massacred many pilgrims and dumped their bodies down the Kaaba’s central well.
- The Qarmatians removed the Black Stone from the Kaaba’s eastern corner and took it back to their stronghold in Al-Hasa.
- With the Black Stone gone, the Qarmatians destroyed the entire Kaaba structure.
For over 20 years, the sacred ground of the Kaaba remained an empty ruin. The Black Stone was recovered in 951 CE after a large ransom was paid. The Kaaba was then rebuilt to its former glory.
14th century CE
In the 1300s CE, the Kaaba sustained both fire and flood damage:
- In 1301 CE, Mecca was hit by a massive flood that destroyed houses, mosques, and other structures, including the Kaaba.
- In 1334 CE, another great flood struck Mecca and impacted the Kaaba.
- In 1344 CE, a fire started by a woman who wanted to commit suicide inside the Kaaba burned down part of the structure.
Each time, the Mamluk Sultan in Cairo ordered the Kaaba’s restoration and financed much of the work.
16th century CE
Around this time, the Kaaba suffered from both natural and manmade events:
- In 1524 CE, unusually heavy rains caused a mud brick wall near the Kaaba to collapse.
- In 1577 CE, an army sent by the Sharif of Mecca directly targeted and bombarded the Kaaba with cannon fire.
The Ottoman Sultan Murad III had the Kaaba restored after each of these incidents.
18th century CE
In the 1700s, there were several floods that partially or fully collapsed sections of the Kaaba:
- In 1717 CE, heavy rains knocked down one of the Kaaba’s walls and destroyed one of its columns.
- In 1726 CE, an enormous flood completely razed the Kaaba to the ground.
- In 1755 CE, another flood collapsed part of the Kaaba’s walls.
As the sovereign authority in Hijaz at the time, the Ottoman governors arranged for repairs after each flood disaster.
20th century CE
The Kaaba’s major incidents in the 1900s were less about natural disasters and more a consequence of technological advancement:
- In 1955, demolition crews used dynamite explosions to raze old buildings and mosques around the Kaaba to make way for expanded infrastructure.
- In 1979, an extremist group briefly seized the Grand Mosque in Mecca and attempted to demolish the Kaaba.
- In 1984, a fire gutted the roof of the Grand Mosque, damaging the Kaaba’s black silk covering.
The damage from explosions and arson in the 20th century demonstrated the risks that modern technology and ideologies posed to the Kaaba’s stability.
Has the Kaaba’s structure remained the same?
While the Kaaba itself has been demolished and rebuilt at least a few times over the centuries, what about the foundations? Have they remained unchanged?
The evidence indicates yes – the Kaaba’s original foundations and black stone are fixed. Each time the structure was damaged or ruined, the new building preserved the original ground plan and incorporated remnants of the previous foundation stones.
The exact alignment has been meticulously maintained during every reconstruction. Even when totally destroyed, the Kaaba was resurrected on the same spot, oriented by the original foundation.
Conclusion
In summary, the archaeological and historical records confirm that the Kaaba has endured substantial damage on multiple occasions since the 7th century CE from both natural disasters and military conflicts.
While parts of the physical structure were destroyed or ruined completely at times, the foundations remained intact and guided the reconstruction to preserve the original floor plan and design.
The Kaaba’s resilience through cyclical episodes of destruction and revival over 1400+ years reflects its profound religious and cultural significance to Muslims worldwide.