Chapter 48RiyadhTwenty four hours later we were in Riyadh making our
farewells. The journey to Al-Wadj had gone smoothly and the internal flight
to the capital had been without hitch. Now we were gathered in the office of
the Assistant to the Deputy Director of Antiquities and Museums as she
signed all the many clearance documents necessary to remove and permit ready
ingress into the United Kingdom.
During the flight to Riyadh Bal’Ashtu, who was seated
next to me,, had declared she would be retaining the Moses’ Tablets. My
reaction was predictable.
“How on earth are we going to authenticate them if
they’re not examined and assessed by our experts?” I had questioned, my
voice rising in exasperation.
“Professor Abelmann has told me that a small section
of the Tablet, from the on
