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Spain sends expert to inspect beams from mosque for auction:Posted By: Mark Smith MADRID (AFP) - The famous cathedral-cum-mosque in the southern Spanish city of Cordoba said it was sending its top expert to London to check on five of its wooden beams which are due to be auctioned next month.Earlier this month the Spanish government asked Britain to suspend the sale of the beams which are due to be sold on April 4 at Christie's. The beams are to be part of an Islamic Art and Manuscripts sale which includes artefacts going back to the eighth century. Father Manuel Nieto Cumplido, the building's archivist, and a legal representative " will hold talks with representatives of Christie's," the church body that manages the monument said. The two Spanish representatives are charged with checking the beams, which date from the second half of the 10th century, and if the need arises, "see if there are legal ways to prevent the sale," a spokesman said. "We are prudent," he said. "For the moment we are not in a position to say much, for or against. At first glance the documentation produced by Christie's does not seem open to argument." The Umayyad Andalusian beams from the former Great Mosque, converted into a cathedral following the capture of the once Muslim-ruled city by Ferdinand III in 1236, are a major highlight of the sale, and each is set to sell for somewhere between 100,000 pounds (160,000 dollars) to 300,000 pounds, according to Christie's. Highly decorated, with trefoil and diamond designs, "their condition is remarkably well-preserved," Christie's said in a statement. The auction house said two retained their original polychrome decoration from the late 10th century, unlike the remainder of the originals which were restored over the past century. Madrid's culture ministry called on the police to assess, via Interpol, the "legal situation" of the beams and ascertain how they came to be in private hands. The name of the current owner has not been divulged. Christie's said in a statement that it was "satisfied with the provenance given to us by the consignor in relation to the beams. We are working with the Spanish authorities in order to clarify certain issues." Awaiting the results of the police investigations, the ministry of culture called on the British authorities to "suspend the sale ahead of the end of the enquiry," basing its request on 1985 legislation governing its responsibility for Spanish national heritage. The legislation states that "all goods more than 100 years old which leave Spanish territory must have an export licence." The cathedral authorities said Thursday that there would have to be a study before any legal action was undertaken. Lawyers from the two sides met Wednesday in London but were unable to reach agreement and Christie's is going ahead with the sale. The Great Mosque, built on a Visigoth site believed also to be the site of an earlier Roman temple, has emblematic architectural status in Spain. Five centuries after the expulsion of the Moors from Spain the cathedral maintains the superlative forest of columns from the old Muslim prayer room. Courtesy Of: Yahoo! News The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. We thank Yahoo! inc. for the kind cooperation with us and other shareholders. |
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