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Saudi sculptures worth $523,000 among Obama's foreign giftsIts value, along with a chronometer, a set of golf clubs and a golf bag, was estimated at nearly $523,000, by far the most expensive gift given last yearAdTech AdSeven boxes of Cuban cigars and matching Dutch bicycles may have been the most appreciated gifts that President Barack Obama and his wife received from foreign leaders last year, but a gem-encrusted horse sculpture from Saudi Arabia's King and a pair of intricate mechanical birds from the Amir of Qatar topped the extravagance chart.In documents published on Wednesday, the State Department said the horse sculpture presented to Obama by the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, in September 2015 was made from gold-plated sterling silver, diamonds, tsavorites, yellow sapphires, rubies and obsidian mounted on a rotating, piano-black lacquer base. Its value, along with a chronometer, a set of golf clubs and a golf bag, was estimated at nearly $523,000, by far the most expensive gift given last year, according to the annual registry of foreign gifts given to US officials from the department's protocol office.The Amir of Qatar came close, though. He gave Obama and the first lady two gold-plated bird clock mechanisms worth $110,000 each. Each of the nine-inch replicas of chiffchaffs 'tweets, turns, and flaps its wings once per hour,' according to the filing in the Federal Register.Read More At: http://khaleejtimes.com/international/americas/saudi-sculptures-worth-523000-among-obamas-foreign-gifts
