50-Year Inheritance Dispute Persists Over Demolished Indian Guest House in Mecca

The Keyi Rubath, a 19th-century guest house built near Islam's holiest site in Mecca by Indian merchant Mayankutty Keyi, was demolished in 1971 for the city's expansion, with Saudi authorities depositing compensation totaling 1.4 million riyals (approximately $373,000) into the kingdom's treasury. However, no rightful heir was identified at the time, igniting a decades-long inheritance dispute between two branches of the Keyi family in India, each claiming lineage and the compensation, which some now argue could be worth over $1 billion accounting for inflation. The property was a waqf, an Islamic charitable endowment, implying that descendants can manage but not own it, complicating claims further. Despite repeated attempts by successive Indian governments to resolve the matter, the deadlock persists, and Saudi authorities have not publicly addressed the dispute or indicated willingness to release or adjust the compensation. This unresolved issue continues to stir speculation and debate thousands of miles away from Mecca, highlighting complex intersections of heritage, law, and international relations. The Saudi department responsible for Awqaf did not respond to inquiries, leaving the family's fate and the compensation's future uncertain.