The committee, which was set up to ascertain the claims, employed grave diggers to look for human remains at the site, which is located toward the east of Madinah.

The remains are thought to have been buried quite some time ago. The committee has now forced builders to stop work and fence the site off.

The dispute began late last month when a contractor in Madinah angered residents of the city’s Al-Matar district by destroying part of what they claimed to be a cemetery to make way for a home.

Local people complained to the municipality and filed an official complaint with the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice’s local branch in Al-Oyoon.

The contractor, however, insisted on finishing the job and used heavy machinery to destroy half of the cemetery. The commission called for a review of the job and asked the municipality to halt the construction.

According to locals, the cemetery is very old and contains the grave of up to 10 people. They also said that a local resident offered to fence the cemetery off some 30 years ago and asked the municipality for a permit. The municipality, however, failed to respond.

Bandar Al-Rubaish, spokesman for Madinah municipality, said the committee is keen to protect cemeteries and the dignity of the dead, and that it would contact the Madinah governorate to take further steps.