LONDON: A Quran dated to the middle of the seventh century was sold for nearly ?2.5 million (?3.1 million, $4.9 million) on Tuesday, a world record price for an Islamic manuscript at auction.
The palimpsest (parchment page), which likely originated from the Saudi city of Medina, had been estimated to sell for between ?100,000 and ?150,000 pounds, London auction house Christie s said.
Christie s added that a carved marble capital (the decorative upper end of a column), which was probably originally from Cordoba, Spain, set a separate record for the highest price at auction for any Islamic stone carving, selling for ?1.3 million.
It had been estimated to sell for between ?50,000 and ?70,000.The auction house did not say who bought either of the two items. -AFP
