5 Facts About Hebron
The Cave of the Patriarchs, also called the Cave of Machpelah in Hebron
1. Hebron is the second holiest city after Jerusalem.
In the Old Testament, he is mentioned 62 times. According to the Old Testament, Abraham, the founder of the Jewish people, paid 400 shekels of fine silver for the Cave of the Patriarchs, also called the Cave of Machpelah. Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the world, it was here that King David began to reign.
2. The Cave of the Patriarchs, (the Cave of Machpelah) is the oldest building in the world that has been functioning for more than 2000 years.
Here the forefathers and foremothers of the Jewish people were buried - Abraham and Sarah, Yitzhak and Rivka, Yaakov and Leah.
Muslims added minarets to the Jewish construction of The Cave of the Patriarchs to give the building a Muslim look. For 700 years of Muslim rule (the Mamluk, Turkish, and Jordanian), Jews were forbidden to enter The Cave of the Patriarchs.
3. It is considered that Adam and Eve were buried there first.
The cave held significance even before Abraham purchased it. After Adam was banished from the Garden of Eden, G‑d Himself prepared a place near the entrance to the Garden, hewed out of rock, where he would bury Adam, the patriarchs and the matriarchs. The cave belonged to Ephron, but only Abraham was spiritually sensitive enough to know of its significance.
4. Jews live in Hebron for thousands of years.
In addition to the references in the Old Testament and archaeological finds, there are also written evidence found in both Jewish and non-Jewish historical documents, as well as in travelers’ records, starting from the 1st c. AD
5. Today, Jewish citizens of Israel are allowed to be in 3% of the total area of the city.
