The Black Stone of the Kaaba
The most revered stone in the world, and a mystery to science.
The Black Stone, al-Hajar al-Aswad, is set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba in Mecca, the holiest site in Islam. Millions of pilgrims pass it each year, and Islamic tradition holds that it was sent down from heaven.
The stone is now in pieces, held together in a silver frame. Because it has never been studied by scientists, its nature is unknown. Writers have suggested a stony meteorite, impact glass from the Wabar craters in Arabia, or an ordinary rock such as basalt or agate. Each idea has supporters, and none has been proved.
Whatever it is made of, the Black Stone shows how strongly people have linked dark stones with the sky and the divine.