Black Stone :


The Black Stone is a Muslim object of reverence.It is one of the cornerstones of the Kaaba,the ancient stone building towards which all Muslims pray.The Kaaba is located in Mecca,Saudi Arabia,where it is surrounded by the enormous Masjid al-Haram,the Grand Mosque.The Black Stone is comparatively small, being roughly 30 cm (12 in.) in diameter.However,it can be recognized instantly by the large silver band surrounding it.

The Stone is actually broken into several pieces,damage which occurred when it was stolen in 930.Qarmatian warriors sacked Mecca and carried the Black Stone away to their base in Bahrain. It was returned twenty-two years later. In the process, the Black Stone was cracked.It is now held together by the silver band,which is fastened by silver nails to the Stone.

Muslims say that the Stone was found by Abraham (Ibrahim) and his son Ishmael (Ismail) when they were searching for stones with which to build the Kaaba. They recognized its worth and made it one of the building's cornerstones. Originally,Muslims argue,the Black Stone fell from Heaven along with Adam and Eve.


Secular historians point to the history of meteorite worship, in pre-Islamic Arabia,and say it is likely that the Stone is a meteorite or possibly impact glass,from the meteorite impact crater at Wabar, about 1100 km from Mecca.However,later transluminescence tests at the Wabar crater indicated the site was no more than 260 years old.There is no way to test the "meteorite" hypothesis without removing and examining the Stone, which would not be permitted by its guardians.