Abdullah from Thailand Helped Build Kaaba Door in 1979
- Abdullah, 78, led six Thai craftsmen
- Door plated with 280 kg of gold
- Installed in October 1979
A Thai man who helped make the Kaaba door in 1979, during the reign of King Khalid, has told his story in Saudi Arabia.
He met a presenter at a hotel in Madinah while visiting through the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Guests Program. The interview was part of a Friday story series.
He gave his name as Abdullah bin Abdul Muttalib and his age as 78. He graduated from Al-Azhar University in 1973 and did postgraduate studies in the principles of religion (Usul al-Din).
How a Translator From Thailand Joined the Kaaba Door Project
Abdullah said he was the only translator in Thailand who spoke Arabic. Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary to Prince Majid, told him two Saudi men were coming down an elevator and that he must greet them.
The men were Sheikh Ahmad Ibrahim Badr, the chief goldsmith of Makkah, and his relative by marriage, Hasan Hariri. Sheikh Ahmad told him the wood from Thailand had reached Makkah by ship. He asked Abdullah to take three carpenters and three goldsmiths and act as their translator and head.
Abdullah described the work on the door as something truly great.
Measuring the Kaaba Door in Makkah
The group travelled to Saudi Arabia with the six craftsmen. Munir Al-Jundi, a Syrian, was the designer of the door.
The earlier door had been made in the time of King Abdulaziz. Abdullah and Al-Jundi entered the Kaaba for the first time to take measurements.
They then went to Sheikh Ahmad Ibrahim Badr’s house, where a small workshop stood. The door was built there, first in wood.
280 kg of Gold and the Quranic Calligraphy
Once the woodwork was finished, the door was fitted and plated with 280 kg of gold.
Sheikh Abdul Rahim Amin Makki had written the Quranic verses on the first door. King Khalid wanted him to write this one too. Abdullah said the sheikh was 85 years old and kept going back and forth to hospital, writing a little each time.
Abdullah pointed to the door’s design, which carries 15 of the Beautiful Names of Allah. There are six on one side, six on the other and three on top.
Kaaba Door Installation During Tawaf
The work took a little over a week, according to Abdullah. He said the team worked above while people performed Tawaf below at Masjid al-Haram (Grand Mosque).
The old door was taken down, and the new one was fitted. It was installed on 22 Dhul Qadah 1399 AH, which falls in October 1979.
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