• The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
    The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
  • The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
    The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
  • The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
    The black stone with Focus Stack Panorama. What is this technology? It is a technology in which images are combined with different clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
  • The black stone of the Kaaba with Focus Stack Panorama. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.
    The black stone of the Kaaba with Focus Stack Panorama. Courtesy: Saudi Arabia General Presidency of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque.

The National

Kaaba's Black Stone in Makkah seen like never before in 49,000-megapixel image

Images were captured using a painstaking process that took almost 60 hours to complete

Mariam Nihal

May 06, 2021

  • English
  • Arabic

Latest: Rare images of Prophet Ibrahim’s shrine stone and footprints in Makkah released

Specially processed high-resolution images were taken of the Black Stone, the ancient rock set into the corner of the Kaaba in Makkah, the centre of the holiest site in Islam.

The official account of the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque said it documented the Black Stone “with Focus Stack Panorama, which uses a technology in which images are combined with [different] clarity, in order to produce a single image with the greatest accuracy”.

The Black Stone, or Hajar Al Aswad in Arabic, was placed by the Prophet Mohammed in the Kaaba in 605 CE.

Photo stacking is a process of stitching together hundreds of images taken of different parts of the subject at different focal lengths to create a single shot in high resolution. It is often used to create detailed landscapes and close-up macro shots.

Shot over seven hours, the 1,050 photos took the team another 50 hours to combine to produce the 49,000-megapixel image. For comparison, an iPhone 12 has a 12-megapixel camera.

The Black Stone comprises eight small rocks affixed to a large stone encased in a silver frame.

The Black Stone is the point from which the circumambulation begins and ends for tawaf, the ritual where pilgrims go around the Kaaba seven times anticlockwise to complete the Hajj or Umrah pilgrimage.

Pictures of the Black Stone took the internet by storm as hashtag #BlackStone trended on Twitter in Saudi Arabia and people shared the never-before-seen pictures of the stone, which is deemed sacred by Muslims owing to its rich history.

The Grand Mosque in Makkah – in pictures

  • Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate (Tawaf) the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. AFP
    Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate (Tawaf) the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. AFP
  • Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate the Kaaba (Tawaf) in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
    Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate the Kaaba (Tawaf) in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
  • Saudis and foreign residents perform the Umrah in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round pilgrimage amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
    Saudis and foreign residents perform the Umrah in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round pilgrimage amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
  • Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate the Kaaba (Tawaf) in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
    Saudis and foreign residents circumambulate the Kaaba (Tawaf) in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah, as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umra / AFP
  • Muslims pray around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the first day of Umrah in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP
    Muslims pray around the Kaaba, the cubic building at the Grand Mosque, during the first day of Umrah in the Muslim holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. A very small, limited number of people donning the white terrycloth garment symbolic of the Muslim pilgrimage circled Islam's holiest site in Mecca on Sunday after Saudi Arabia lifted coronavirus restrictions that had been in place for months. Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah via AP
  • Saudis and foreign residents arrive to circumambulate (Tawaf) the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. / AFP
    Saudis and foreign residents arrive to circumambulate (Tawaf) the Kaaba in the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Makkah as authorities partially resume the year-round Umrah for a limited number of pilgrims amid extensive health precautions after a seven-month coronavirus hiatus. / AFP
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
  • The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
    The first group of Muslims, allowed in the mosque compound by appointment, arrive at the Grand Mosque to perform Umrah. Courtesy General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque
Match info

Deccan Gladiators 87-8

Asif Khan 25, Dwayne Bravo 2-16

Maratha Arabians 89-2

Chadwick Walton 51 not out

Arabians won the final by eight wickets

Turkish Ladies

Various artists, Sony Music Turkey 

The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

While you're here

Michael Young: Where is Lebanon headed?

Kareem Shaheen: I owe everything to Beirut

Raghida Dergham: We have to bounce back

Sly%20Cooper%20and%20the%20Thievius%20Raccoonus
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sucker%20Punch%20Productions%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sony%20Computer%20Entertainment%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsole%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20PlayStation%202%20to%205%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%205%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
WHAT%20MACRO%20FACTORS%20ARE%20IMPACTING%20META%20TECH%20MARKETS%3F
%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Looming%20global%20slowdown%20and%20recession%20in%20key%20economies%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Russia-Ukraine%20war%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Interest%20rate%20hikes%20and%20the%20rising%20cost%20of%20debt%20servicing%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Oil%20price%20volatility%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Persisting%20inflationary%20pressures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Exchange%20rate%20fluctuations%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20Shortage%20of%20labour%2Fskills%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%E2%80%A2%20A%20resurgence%20of%20Covid%3F%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The biog:

Favourite book: The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma

Pet Peeve: Racism 

Proudest moment: Graduating from Sorbonne 

What puts her off: Dishonesty in all its forms

Happiest period in her life: The beginning of her 30s

Favourite movie: "I have two. The Pursuit of Happiness and Homeless to Harvard"

Role model: Everyone. A child can be my role model 

Slogan: The queen of peace, love and positive energy

While you're here
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
UNSC Elections 2022-23

Seats open:

  • Two for Africa Group
  • One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
  • One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
  • One for Eastern Europe Group

Countries so far running: 

  • UAE
  • Albania 
  • Brazil 

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Match info

What: Fifa Club World Cup play-off
Who: Al Ain v Team Wellington
Where: Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, Al Ain
When: Wednesday, kick off 7.30pm

Iraq negotiating over Iran sanctions impact
  • US sanctions on Iran’s energy industry and exports took effect on Monday, November 5.
  • Washington issued formal waivers to eight buyers of Iranian oil, allowing them to continue limited imports. Iraq did not receive a waiver.
  • Iraq’s government is cooperating with the US to contain Iranian influence in the country, and increased Iraqi oil production is helping to make up for Iranian crude that sanctions are blocking from markets, US officials say.
  • Iraq, the second-biggest producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, pumped last month at a record 4.78 million barrels a day, former Oil Minister Jabbar Al-Luaibi said on Oct. 20. Iraq exported 3.83 million barrels a day last month, according to tanker tracking and data from port agents.
  • Iraq has been working to restore production at its northern Kirkuk oil field. Kirkuk could add 200,000 barrels a day of oil to Iraq’s total output, Hook said.
  • The country stopped trucking Kirkuk oil to Iran about three weeks ago, in line with U.S. sanctions, according to four people with knowledge of the matter who asked not to be identified because they aren’t allowed to speak to media.
  • Oil exports from Iran, OPEC’s third-largest supplier, have slumped since President Donald Trump announced in May that he’d reimpose sanctions. Iran shipped about 1.76 million barrels a day in October out of 3.42 million in total production, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
  • Benchmark Brent crude fell 47 cents to $72.70 a barrel in London trading at 7:26 a.m. local time. U.S. West Texas Intermediate was 25 cents lower at $62.85 a barrel in New York. WTI held near the lowest level in seven months as concerns of a tightening market eased after the U.S. granted its waivers to buyers of Iranian crude.
Transgender report
While you're here

FFP EXPLAINED

What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.

What the rules dictate? 
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.

What are the penalties? 
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.

GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

More Expo 2020 Dubai pavilions:
While you're here
While you're here
Key recommendations
  • Fewer criminals put behind bars and more to serve sentences in the community, with short sentences scrapped and many inmates released earlier.
  • Greater use of curfews and exclusion zones to deliver tougher supervision than ever on criminals.
  • Explore wider powers for judges to punish offenders by blocking them from attending football matches, banning them from driving or travelling abroad through an expansion of ‘ancillary orders’.
  • More Intensive Supervision Courts to tackle the root causes of crime such as alcohol and drug abuse – forcing repeat offenders to take part in tough treatment programmes or face prison.
Saudi Arabia