Holy Islamic key fetches $18.1m

ISLAMABAD—A 12th Century key to Islam’s holiest shrine has sold at auction in London for œ9.2m ($18.1m). The key to the Kaaba - the ancient cube-shaped shrine in Mecca - went to an anonymous bidder at Sotheby’s. The auction house said the price set a record for the sale of an Islamic work of art,BBC reported. Made of iron and measuring 37cm (15in) in length, the key is engraved with the words “This was made for the Holy House of God”.
The key was the centrepiece of Sotheby’s Islamic art sale, which realised more than œ21.5m ($40m) in total. Head of Sotheby’s Islamic art department Edward Gibbs said: “Remarkably, the sale realised more than the Islamic department’s annual total for 2007, demonstrating beyond doubt the burgeoning and international demand for Islamic art.”

—Agencies