Why 24 guards protect Black Stone in 24 hours

There are 24 guards assigned to protect the Black Stone. So for 24 hours a day, there are 24 different guards day and night.

A guard standing near the Black Stone (Hajr Al-Aswad) holding onto a rope is a common sight in the Grand Mosque. The Black Stone (Hajr Al-Aswad) set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba is never left unattended.

There are 24 guards assigned to protect the Black Stone. So for 24 hours a day, there are 24 different guards day and night.

Each guard stays put near the Black Stone for one hour fully focused on everything going on around him. He also alerts other guards whenever he finds a pilgrim or a visitor fainting because of suffocation or heat.

“The guard of the Black Stone is assigned various tasks. He is assigned to maintain the safety of visitors and teach them the right way of kissing the Black Stone. He is also responsible for organizing the queue of pilgrims who want to kiss the stone,” said the Grand Mosque Police spokesman Major Sameh Al-Sulami.

SAUDI GAZETTE