CONTEMPLATION ABOUT THE KAABA’S HISTORY, ARCHITECTURE, AND DECORATIONS IN THE FIRST THREE CENTURIES OF ISLAM

The Kaaba is the first temple of the world according to the Islamic belief. It is the qibla, where Muslims face individually or as a group in prayer and the international meeting place where they meet as an ummah during pilgrimage. In the historical process, it has played a role as a geographical, cultural, economic and political center as well as a religious center. In Islamic historical literature, it is stated that this temple is as old as the universe, and that the Kaaba was constructed thirteen times from the creation of the universe to the present day. Although each construction of the holy temple has very important and special contents, the characteristics of Prophet Abraham, Quraysh, Ibn al-Zubayr, al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf, and Murad IV's constructions of the Kaaba are more remarkable. In our study, the reasons, the processes and the results of these five constructions are examined. The history, the architecture and the decorations of the Kaaba, especially in the first three centuries of Islamic history, will be the main themes of our article.