Claim: Sources linked to the Kaaba and Saudi government have told news outlets that that a viral photograph tied to the “Epstein files” does not show the Kaaba’s Kiswa.
Fact: Many reports making this claim are citing the Saudi news outlet Inside the Haramain as their source. The publication describes itself as a private, non-profit entity not affiliated with government authorities overseeing the Two Holy Mosques. However, the available DOJ documents and the viral image do not provide enough proof to confirm or rule out whether this specific image in the Epstein Files does actually show the Kiswa.
On 10 and 11 February 2026, several accounts, including popular digital news outlets Dialogue Pakistan and Parhlo shared posts asserting that claims connecting a rug in a photo of Jeffrey Epstein and Emirati businessman Sultan bin Sulayem to the Kiswa are false or misleading. Dialogue’s post in particular claimed the textile shown in the image is not the Kaaba’s Kiswa. It stated that “Harmain Sharifeen” investigated it through consultations with people “associated with the Grand Mosque” and subject experts, who confirmed it is not the “original Kiswa,” and that claims suggesting otherwise are baseless. Other posts, including that by Parhlo, asserts that “experts and sources linked to the Grand Mosque” have denied any connection to the Kiswa.
The Kiswa is the ornate black cloth embroidered with Quranic verses in gold and silver thread that covers the Kaaba in Makkah.
Epstein Files
In early 2026, renewed online attention to the Epstein Files followed a major US Department of Justice document release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. Within that broader wave of coverage, reporting described email correspondence discussing the shipment of Kiswa pieces to Jeffrey Epstein in 2017, including coordination involving UAE-based businesswoman Aziza al-Ahmadi.
On 10 February 2026, local news outlet Dialogue Pakistan posted on Instagram stating that a claim about a viral photograph from the Epstein Files is misleading because the textile shown in the image is not the Kaaba’s Kiswa. The post cited the “Harmain Sharifeen” had concluded as such, stating that expert review had found the cloth’s size, borders, and finishing do not match authentic Kiswa panels.
Separately, reporting on the same document tranche described communications involving DP World executive Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem and Jeffrey Epstein, and DP World later announced leadership changes after bin Sulayem’s departure.
Fact or Fiction?
The key source cited in the claim is Inside the Haramain (also styled “Haramain Sharifain”), which states on its own “About Us” page that it is a private, non-profit entity and not affiliated with Saudi authorities overseeing the Two Holy Mosques. As a result, its assessment should not be presented as an official determination by the Grand Mosque or Saudi authorities.
While Inside the Haramain argues the textile does not match authenticated Kiswa examples based on visual discrepancies, it also cautions against treating the image as verified evidence without clear provenance.
Dialogue Pakistan’s framing goes further by dismissing “claims suggesting otherwise” as baseless, a stronger conclusion than the publicly available evidence supports. The post by Parhlo, which claims “experts and sources linked to the Grand Mosque” have denied the claim, is also false.
Soch Fact Check reviewed the documents circulating in the DOJ “Epstein Library” after viral posts shared a photograph of Jeffrey Epstein and Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem standing over a textile claimed to be the Kiswa. The image found in the Files, which can be viewed below, shows two men standing indoors and looking down at a large black-and-gold textile spread across the floor.
EFTA01201031 – DataSet 9
Photograph of Epstein and Sulayem standing over a black and gold textile.
We also found other references to the Kiswa and the Kabaa in the Files, including an invoice dated 19 February 2017 listing framed items labelled “KISWA – INNER GREEN,” “KISWA – OUTER BLACK,” and “KISWA – OUTER BLACK & Golden,” alongside descriptive pages about “Kiswa” pieces.
EFTA00787697.pdf – DataSet 9
Invoice listing items labeled as Kiswa textiles
Invoice from the Epstein file set describing framed silk textiles labeled as Kiswa pieces, valued at $10,980 and shipped to LSJE, LLC in St. Thomas.
EFTA00525525.pdf – DataSet 9
Document page showing a black-and-gold textile piece.
Another document page includes a description of a Kiswa-style panel, made from the same material as the Kaaba covering, but not used on the Kaaba.
EFTA00525525.pdf – DataSet 9
Document page showing a black-and-gold textile piece.
Another document page includes a description of a Kiswa-style panel, made from the same material as the Kaaba covering, but not used on the Kaaba.
We also found reference to a green textile described in the document as used inside the Kaaba.
Close-up of a dark textile with faint embroidered patterns.
A black textile was also described in the document as part of the Kiswah exterior.
Document page with reference images of the Kaaba exterior and interior.
The above images, which can be viewed in the DOJ’s Epstein Files, are included to show where the textile pieces are said to come from.
The invoice and related documents may support that Epstein was sent or possessed textile pieces described as Kiswa. However, those materials do not conclusively verify that the specific black-and-gold cloth shown in the viral photograph is one of those same items. In particular, the file set does not include official Saudi authentication, a documented chain of custody for the depicted textile, or unique identifiers that can be matched to the cloth seen in the image. Crucially, one page in the document set notes that “the below photos are just to illustrate where the pieces are from,” suggesting the images included are illustrative rather than item-specific proof of origin.
Therefore, the available material is insufficient to conclusively confirm that the cloth in the viral photo is Kiswah, though it is also insufficient to conclusively rule it out. However, contrary to viral claims Soch Fact Check can conclude that official Kabaa or Saudi sources have not issued a denial regarding the rug in the the image of Epstein and bin Sulayem.
Virality
The claim was shared here, here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook.
It was shared here and here on Instagram, here, here, here, and here on X.
Conclusion: Dialogue Pakistan’s post is misleading because it presents the evidence from a private Saudi publication’s article as though it is an official statement by the authorities overseeing the Two Holy Mosques in Saudi Arabia. The Parhlo article is false as it incorrectly states “experts and sources linked to the Grand Mosque” have denied the claim.