Kaaba

Kaaba, or Caaba, most sacred shrine of Islam, the chief goal of pilgrimage, in the courtyard of the Great Mosque at Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Pilgrims must circle this flat-roofed building 7 times, and then kiss the venerated object encased within—the Black Stone, said to have been given to Adam on his fall from paradise. The Kaaba is the center of the Muslim world, and it is in its direction that Muslims face in prayer.