Khaabou

Chaabou (perhaps the original etymological version of the Arabic word Ka'bah) is the name of one of the Goddesses in the Nabataean Pantheon as noted by Epiphanius of Salamis (c.315–403). The description either points to Allat or Uzza, but is most likely the former since Allat is also associated with Aphrodite, a fertility Goddess. Khaabou has been called by Epiphanius a Virgin that gave birth to Dusares/Dhu Sharaa/DVSARI, the Lord of mount Seir, the God of the Nabataeans equated with Zeus. He records a festival celebrating the birth of Dusares on the 25th of December whereby the Black Stone of Dusares (considered newly born) is carried around the courtyard of the temple seven times.

Remnants of this practice are observed not only in the present day Hajj, but also in most Arab countries where, upon birth of a child, the family carries the baby around the house seven times. This ritual is called Subu' (meaning the sevens). It is also interesting that once the pilgrims return from the Hajj, they are considered as those who have been purified from sin, as if they were newly born.

John of Damascus, while narrating accounts regarding the Hagarenes or Saracens, notes that they revere a certain black stone and shower it with kisses, and it is the head of Aphrodite, the goddess they once worshipped and whom they call Chobar in their language.