The Black Stone

 This is an oval boulder about 18cm across. It marks the beginning of the pilgrim's walk around the Ka'ba. It is encased in a silver frame. The pilgrims all try to touch the black stone.

As a young man Muhammad showed his wisdom by uniting the four tribes of Makkah. Civil war had almost broken out over which tribe should replace the Black Stone after the Ka'ba had been rebuilt.

Muhammad's idea was to give one member of each tribe a corner of his cloak. The tribes could all carry it. Muhammad himself put it in it's final resting place.

The stone is probably a meteorite.