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 Centuries ago, the imposing iron key to the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built where many Christians
believe Jesus was crucified and buried, was entrusted to his
family, one of Jerusalem's most prominent clans, says Joudeh.
He dates the arrangement back to the time of Saladin, the Muslim
conqueror who seized the holy city from the Crusaders in 1187.
"Honestly, it's a great honor for a Muslim to hold the key to
the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which is the most important
church in Christendom," Joudeh, 53, said.
Another of the city's oldest Muslim families, the Nusseibehs,
were entrusted with the duty of opening and closing the church
doors, a task they perform to this day. It requires firm
fingers: The key is 30 cm (12 inches) long and weighs 250 grams
(0.5 pounds).
Historians differ on the roots of the arrangement. Some
researchers say Saladin most likely bestowed the guardianship
upon the two families in order to assert Muslim dominance over
Christianity in the city. It also had financial implications,
with a tax from visitors collected at the door.
Documentation, however, only goes back to the 16th century,
Joudeh said, displaying dozens of "Fermans", or royal decrees by
rulers of the Ottoman empire, bestowing the key custodianship
upon his family.
Jerusalem's Old City today houses sites that are sacred to all
three major monotheisms. It and other east Jerusalem areas were
captured by Israel from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East war.
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 Israel has since declared the entire city its
undivided capital. This status is not recognized internationally
and is rejected by the Palestinians who want East Jerusalem as
capital of a state they hope to found.
Joudeh says his key is about 800 years old. Another copy he holds
broke after centuries of use.
"I started learning this when I was eight years old. It's handed
down from father to son," said Joudeh. "I have been doing this for
30 years and I feel that the Church of the Holy Sepulchre is my
second home."
The Greek Orthodox, Armenian and Roman Catholic denominations share
custody of the church, where tensions often run high over control of
its various sectors.
Christianity scholar Yisca Harani said having Muslim families in
charge of the key and the doors helps somewhat in keeping the peace
between the denominations.
"The church is definitely a model of co-existence," Harani said.
(Editing by Maayan Lubell and Richard Balmforth)
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