According to one tradition, it appeared when Ibrahim stood on the stone while building the Kaaba; when the walls became too high, Ibrahim stood on the maqām, which miraculously rose up to let him continue building and also miraculously went down in order to allow Ismail to hand him stones.[3] Other traditions held that the footprint appeared when the wife of Ismail washed Ibrahim's head, or alternatively when Ibrahim stood atop it in order to summon the people to perform the pilgrimage to Mecca.[6]
The stone
Textile covering for the Maqam Ibrahim, late 19th century, made at the Dar al-Kiswa in Cairo
The stone inside the casing is square shaped and measures 40 cm (16 in) in length and width, and 20 cm (7.9 in) in height.[3] It used to be enclosed by a structure called the Maqsurat Ibrahim which was covered by a sitara: an ornamental, embroidered curtain that was replaced annually.[7] Currently[when?] it is placed inside a golden-metal enclosure. The outer casing has changed a number of times over the years; historic photographs show that the arch of the Banu Shaybah Gate stood next to it.[8]
^Kister, M. J. (1991). "Maḳām Ibrāhīm". In Bosworth (ed.). The Encyclopaedia of Islam. Vol. VI (Mahk-Mid) (2nd ed.). Brill. p. 105.
^Nassar, Nahla (2013). "Dar al-Kiswa al-Sharifa: Administration and Production". In Porter, Venetia; Saif, Liana (eds.). The Hajj : collected essays. London: The British Museum. pp. 176–178. ISBN978-0-86159-193-0. OCLC857109543.
