By Suzan Fraser
Jan. 14, 2002 | ANKARA, Turkey (AP) --
Saudi Arabia acted in the interests of Muslim pilgrims by razing an Ottoman-era fortress close to shrines in Mecca, the Saudi ambassador said Monday, defending an action that outraged many Turks.
The Turkish government called it a "cultural massacre," and Turkish ultra-nationalists burned posters of the Saudi king in front of the Saudi embassy in Ankara on Saturday.
The Saudi government tore down the castle several weeks ago to make way for a trade center, hotel and underground parking lot to serve the millions of pilgrims who make the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, the holy city in Saudi Arabia.
Full Story: http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2002/01/14/saudi_fort/index.html
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