内容摘要："It shines light on the book and measures the amount of light which shines back," he says.

"It shines light on the book and measures the amount of light which shines back," he says.

It remains unclear if Saudi authorities are even willing to release the compensation, let alone adjust it for inflation as some family members now demand - with some claiming it could be worth over $1bn today.Followers of the case note the property was a waqf - an Islamic charitable endowment - meaning descendants can manage but not own it.

The Saudi department that handles Awqaf (endowed properties) did not respond to the BBC's request for comment, and the government has made no public statement on the matter.That hasn't stopped speculation - about both the money and who it rightfully belongs to.Little is known about the guest house itself, but descendants claim it stood just steps from the Masjid al-Haram, with 22 rooms and several halls spread over 1.5 acres.

According to family lore, Keyi shipped wood from Malabar to build it and appointed a Malabari manager to run it - an ambitious gesture, though not unusual for the time.Saudi Arabia was a relatively poor country back then - the discovery of its massive oil fields still a few decades away.

The Hajj pilgrimage and the city's importance in Islam meant that Indian Muslims often donated money or built infrastructure for Indian pilgrims there.

In his 2014 book, Mecca: The Sacred City, historian Ziauddin Sardar notes that during the second half of the 18th Century, the city had acquired a distinctively Indian character with its economy and financial well-being dependent on Indian Muslims.He has been said to "pose a significant risk, if approached". Police have not provided a possible motive.

The girls, Paityn, Evelyn and Olivia, died from apparent suffocation in a remote campground, earlier this week, according to police.Their mother reported them missing on 30 May after Mr Decker failed to return his daughters to her following a visit. He also did not take her phone calls.

A few days later, on 2 June, police found the girls' bodies near a campground.Police also found Mr Decker's cell phone at the campground but he was no longer there. His truck, which he was believed to have been living in, was also found nearby.