Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr
Encyclopedia
Ahmad bin Ibrahim Badr (1920–2009) is the chief artist who recast the golden door of the Holy Kaaba.
He had been working at his father’s shop in the Goldsmiths’ street in Makkah all his life. He belonged to a family of artists known for exquisite gold works. He learned his art from his father Ibrahim Badr who originally designed and built the door when King Abdul Aziz
ordered him to in 1942.
He made the Kaaba door using 300 kg of pure gold
at the orders of King Khaled bin Abd al-Aziz
in October 1979. The work was carried out at a workshop prepared exclusively for the project. The prayer ‘Ya Hayy Ya Qayyum’ (Oh the Living Oh the Lasting), verses of the Holy Quran and the words ‘Allah
’ and ‘Muhammad
’ were inscribed on the door. He also refurbished the meezab (the spout at the top of Kaaba) and the Black Stone
’s silver frame. Badr and his two relatives, Mahmoud and Ibrahim Badr, cast the door in pure gold, taking a full year to complete the work. The interior pillars and the meezab, made with 25 kg of 24-carat gold, were also completed during that time. Their work also included a silver frame for the Black Stone.
Badr died at the age of 89 in the holy city of Makkah on Friday 6 November 2009. The Grand Mosque held funeral prayers at dawn on the following Saturday.
Biography
Badr was born at his ancestral home in the Qashashiya quarter of Makkah in 1920. After studying at the local Falah school he joined his father at his gold and silver workshop at the age of 15.He had been working at his father’s shop in the Goldsmiths’ street in Makkah all his life. He belonged to a family of artists known for exquisite gold works. He learned his art from his father Ibrahim Badr who originally designed and built the door when King Abdul Aziz
Ibn Saud of Saudi Arabia
King Abdul-Aziz of Saudi Arabia was the first monarch of the Third Saudi State known as Saudi Arabia. He was commonly referred to as Ibn Saud....
ordered him to in 1942.
He made the Kaaba door using 300 kg of pure gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
at the orders of King Khaled bin Abd al-Aziz
Khalid of Saudi Arabia
Khalid bin Abdul-Aziz Al Saud was King of Saudi Arabia from 1975 to 1982. He ruled during Saudi Arabia's oil boom years. In 1979, he had to deal with the Grand Mosque Seizure...
in October 1979. The work was carried out at a workshop prepared exclusively for the project. The prayer ‘Ya Hayy Ya Qayyum’ (Oh the Living Oh the Lasting), verses of the Holy Quran and the words ‘Allah
Allah
Allah is a word for God used in the context of Islam. In Arabic, the word means simply "God". It is used primarily by Muslims and Bahá'ís, and often, albeit not exclusively, used by Arabic-speaking Eastern Catholic Christians, Maltese Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox Christians, Mizrahi Jews and...
’ and ‘Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
’ were inscribed on the door. He also refurbished the meezab (the spout at the top of Kaaba) and the Black Stone
Black Stone
The Black Stone is the eastern cornerstone of the Kaaba, the ancient stone building towards which Muslims pray, in the center of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic, which according to Muslim tradition dates back to the time of Adam and Eve.The...
’s silver frame. Badr and his two relatives, Mahmoud and Ibrahim Badr, cast the door in pure gold, taking a full year to complete the work. The interior pillars and the meezab, made with 25 kg of 24-carat gold, were also completed during that time. Their work also included a silver frame for the Black Stone.
Badr died at the age of 89 in the holy city of Makkah on Friday 6 November 2009. The Grand Mosque held funeral prayers at dawn on the following Saturday.