The Kaaba (Arabic: الكعبة, translit. al-Ka'bah, har. 'cube'‎; IPA: [alˈkaʕba]), also referred to as Al Ka'bah Al Musyarrafah (The Holy Ka'bah), is a building in the middle of the holiest mosque in Islam, the Grand Mosque, in Mecca, Hejaz, Saudi Arabia. This place is the most sacred place in Islam. The Kaaba is considered the "House of God" and is similar to the Temple in Judaism. Muslims from all over the world face the Kaaba as a point when performing their prayers (prayer). The command to pray facing the Kaaba is known as the Qibla.

The sacred building around the Kaaba is known as Masjid al-Haram.

One of the Pillars of Islam obliges every Muslim who can afford to perform the Hajj once in a lifetime. The parts of the Hajj ritual that require tawaf, revolve seven times around the Kaaba in a counterclockwise direction. Tawaf is also performed by pilgrims when performing Umrah). However, most of the busy time at the Kaaba is the Hajj season, when pilgrims together circle the building for a period of five days. millions In 2013, pilgrims who came from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj were reported as many as 1,379,531. In 2014, Saudi Arabia reported opening permits for 1,389,053 international pilgrims and 63,375 for residents (from Saudi Arabia).