By the receipt of this august and imperial sign, know that by the request addressed to out Sublime Porte we have been made aware that near to the noble city of Jerusalem there is the tomb of the Prophet David-- may the blessings and peace of God rest upon our Prophet and upon him-- and that the convent and church of Mount Sion, possessed and inhabited by the religious Franks, are next to the tomb. These latter, in making the processions required by their false beliefs, cross the earth which covers the tomb of the Prophet David-- may peace be upon him. It is neither just not appropriate that this most noble place remain in the hands of the infidels and that, in obedience to their impious customs, their feet foul the places sanctified by the prophets who have a right to our complete veneration. We order, then, upon receipt of this august order, that you expel from the church and the convent immediately and without delay the religious and all those who reside there. You will have the tomb, the object of pious visits, purified, and you will put it in the same condition as the other places sanctified by the prophets for the noble Sayyids, descendants of our Prophet. We have charged the custodian and the governor of the Haram the carrying out of this order, the preacher Mahdi al-Hashimi, column of the faith and arbiter of truth. We have informed him and confided in him the care of taking care of the possessions of the church, the gardens and the fields connected to it. We have invested full authority in him and granted him the use of these possessions as well as the power to make all the necessary arrangements to take up residence there. You will make known to our Sublime Porte all that you require, and it will be forthcoming by other decrees.