Carol Brooke, age 17, of Columbia, Tenn., for her question:

WHERE IS THE KAABA?

Most sacred shrine in all of Islam is the Kaaba. It is a small, cube shaped building with a,flat roof and it is located near the center of the Great Mosque in Mecca.

When they pray, Muslims everywhere in the world turn their faces toward the Kaaba, which is sometimes spelled Caaba.

The famous Black Stone, enclosed in a silver ring, rests in the eastern corner of the Kaaba. According to Muslim tradition, the Kaaba was originally built by Abraham and Ishmael, and the Black Stone was given to Abraham by the angel Gabriel.

The Kaaba is the chief goal of the annual pilgrimage of Muslims. Pilgrims run and walk around it seven times, praying and reciting verses from the Koran. They touch or kiss the stone and end the ceremony.