800-YEAR-OLD KAABA KEY TAKEN OUT OF AUCTION
ISTANBUL - A 13th century key to Kaaba, the holy
site of Islam in Saudi Arabia, has been withdrawn from an auction in
Istanbul, the auction house said on Tuesday.
The Abbasid-era iron key has been taken out of the auction, planned to be held on December 13, as the "sale might be inconvenient", Portakal Arts and Culture House said.
No pre-sales estimate had been set for the key.
The priceless key would be given back to anonymous owner, the auction house said.
There are 59 recorded Kaaba keys. 54 of them are in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, two are in the Nuhad Es-Said Collection, one is in the Louvre in Paris and one is in the Islamic Art Museum in Cairo.
The key is engraved with a verse from the Koran.
The last time a Kaaba key was put up for auction was last year. It was sold to an anonymous buyer for 18.1 million USD in a Sotheby's auction in London on April 18, 2008.
