SR150,000 for pieces of debris from Holy Mosques 
Monday, 09 February 2015
JEDDAH — Pieces of debris from the Two Holy Mosques as a result of ongoing expansion projects are being smuggled into black markets and sold for up to SR150,000 to historians, collectors, and enthusiasts, Al-Eqtisadiyah reported on Sunday.
The General Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques reported that it had uploaded the data of all of mosque artifacts in its systems to preserve their historical locations despite current and future expansion and renovation plans.
The general presidency’s spokesman Ahmad Al-Mansouri said the data of all of the mosques’ artifacts including the pillars were recorded. He said: “We began uploading the data since the expansion project of 2006. The general presidency opened an exhibition in 1999 called the Exhibition of the Two Holy Mosques Architecture next to the Kaaba Kiswa Factory (that manufactures the black cloth covering the Kaaba). We are now finalizing expansion plans so the new artifacts can be included.”
Sources revealed expatriates working on the expansion projects were responsible for the black market. One source said: “They sell the pieces to accomplices for cheap prices and then the buyers resell the pieces to collectors and Islamic history and art enthusiasts. They do it with such discretion that the missing pieces are unnoticed.”
A seller in the black market revealed that he gets his pieces from the mosques’ storage facilities.
He said: “Every piece has a different value. For example, a piece from the Zamzam water well that was built in 1954 by King Saud Bin Abdulaziz can reach up to SR6,000.
“Another example is the copper piece that is believed to be the cover over Prophet Ibrahim’s footprint and is valued at SR150,000.”
He added that his buyers are usually historians, collectors and Islamic culture, history and art enthusiasts. “These ruins date back to the Ottoman Empire and have the history of the Saudi Arabian Kingdom. To many, these ruins are historical records representing the eras the Holy Mosques went through.”
http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index...20150209233198
‘No black market’ in Grand Mosque relics 
DENIAL: Contrary to claims, even columns removed during an expansion of the Grand Mosque 10 years ago
are safe and on display elsewhere in Makkah, says a spokesman of the Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs.
Tuesday 10 February 2015
The Presidency of the Two Holy Mosques Affairs has rejected reports that rare antiquities found during the expansion of the Grand Mosque has been selling for thousands of riyals on the black market.
This comes in the wake of revelations in the local media that items have been sold to collectors for between SR6,000 and SR150,000.
Ahmed Al-Mansouri, spokesman for the presidency, said recently that this is not possible because all rare relics found are recorded and tracked by a Geographic Information System (GIS) system.
He said the system has also kept track of all the rare items found and removed from the mosque during expansion work carried out 10 years ago. This includes old columns built years ago, which are currently on display locally, he said.
He said this exhibition was set up 16 years ago adjacent to the plant that produces the kiswa, or covering of the Kaaba. It has been expanded many times over the years, Al-Mansouri said.
However, Aleqtesadiah, a sister publication of Arab News, has found that some workers have been selling items to dealers. One dealer, who preferred anonymity, claimed that he has original pieces from the Grand Mosque that were sold to him during the expansion operations.
The dealer claimed that the items came directly from the warehouses of the presidency and contractors, and other people who have great interest in Makkah’s history.
The dealer said that he has priced certain items."For instance, one tile from the basement of the Zamzam Well, which was laid down in 1954 during the expansion project undertaken by the late King Saud, is worth SR6,000.”
“But the copper piece, which is believed to be the cover of Prophet Ibrahim’s grave, is worth SR150,000. Another piece engraved with the phrase ‘The Gate of King Abdul Aziz’ is also worth SR150,000,” said the dealer.
He said that a market has been created for these items because many are rare, dating back to the Rashidun caliphates and the rule of the Ottomans.
http://www.arabnews.com/saudi-arabia/news/702221 
