Ramzan Kadyrov, Chechnya's eccentric leader, is famous for his collections of wild animals and luxury cars. Now he claims to be the owner of a bowl once used by Muhammad, supposedly presented to him by descendants in London.A video shows Kadyrov collecting the purported relic from a private jet at Grozny airport on Wednesday before getting into a convertible Rolls-Royce covered in black and gold rugs, also said to have been delivered from London.
The Rolls-Royce leads a motorcade of dozens of luxury cars to the city's grand mosque, opened by Kadyrov in 2008 as part of his ambition to increase the official role of Islam in the republic. Thousands of residents lined the streets as the Chechen leader waved and wiped away tears.
Wearing a bright purple suit and black skullcap, Kadyrov pushes through a huge crowd at the mosque, said to be the largest in Europe. As he opens the box to reveal the bowl, Kadyrov breaks into loud sobs, shoulders heaving. He covers his face after he kisses the holy bowl for the first time. Kadyrov then lifts the relic above his head, leading the crowd in chants of "Allahu Akbar".
Kadyrov told the crowd that the sacred bowl "was brought from London to Grozny by British Muslims" and was 1,400 years old. His press agency said the bowl had been kept in London by descendants of Muhammad's cousin, Ali. At the unveiling Kadyrov said, "We put a lot of effort into getting the Great Prophet's bowl to our republic."
The bowl will be kept at the mosque and brought out every year on Muhammad's birthday, when believers will be allowed to drink from it. "Many expressed keen interest in the bowl, but the descendants decided that Ramzan Kadyrov deserves to keep it, and so it has been passed to him," said the press agency.