Before long, the two sides inevitably turned to the question of the Holy Land—the question of who held the keys to Bethlehem Church, who was responsible for repairing the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and a whole series of issues concerning the management rights of the sacred sites.
Ever since its decline, the Ottoman Empire had been exceedingly cautious about this matter. To say it was like a child clutching gold, or a common man carrying jade, would not have been an exaggeration.
Afud Pasha had long known that Duke Uvarov would bring up the Holy Land question, so he had prepared the relevant documents.
The moment he received the files, Duke Uvarov had to marvel at the other side's meticulousness. Every report had been written in three languages—Ottoman Turkish, Greek, and French—and their level of detail was downright exaggerated.
The vast sea of files recorded decrees issued by successive Sultans, Ottoman government documents concerning the Holy Land, as well as conflicts, disputes, and relevant rulings among the various sects.
In this life, since the French had not involved themselves much in Holy Land affairs, the keys to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre were still entrusted to Muslims under the custodial arrangement passed down from Saladin's era.
To put an end to the conflicts between clergymen and believers of different sects in the Holy Land, Saladin had decided that the Nuseibeh Family and the Judeh Family would take turns safeguarding the keys, and would be responsible each day for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Because of Saladin's special status, even his Ottoman successors had no choice but to respect his arrangement. Over time, it became customary practice.
The dates and terms of the rotation had all been fixed, and the Ottoman Empire's