JEDDAH, 8 October 2005 — The organizers of the charity auction that began Wednesday night at the Inter.Continental Hotel here have denied press reports that said a gold-embellished cover of the Prophet Muhammad’s grave from the Ottoman era was among the rare Islamic antiquities up for sale.
In a statement issued yesterday, Saud Al-Fulait, executive director of the Charity Warehouse, clarified that the picture published by most Saudi newspapers along with their reports was of a door curtain used in the Prophet’s Mosque during the Ottoman period.
Al-Fulait called on collectors to visit the exhibits and review the items displayed.
The auction is being organized to raise funds for the Charity Warehouse. The proceeds from the auction will benefit some 4,000 needy families.
