Hebron (Arabic: Al-Khalil Ar-Rahman), is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Canaanite Arabs came to this area around 3000 BC. Their settlements are the foundations of many of the towns and villages in the Hebron District. Originally, Hebron was known as Mamre and by the name of Karyat Arba; one story has it that the name derived from a leader of an Arab tribe whose name was Arba, while another suggests that the name means "The town of four" because of its position on four hills (arba = Arabic four).

 

 

 

The Canaaites were visited by the Prophet Ibrahim about 1900 B.C., when he came to dwell in the city. The city was destined to contain his remains, and those of his family, Sara, Isaac, Rebkah, Jacob and Leah. Legend has it also that Adam and Eve are also buried here. The location of their tombs was the reason that Hebron became the second holiest place in Palestine for Muslims.

Hebron, located some 36 km south of Jerusalem, is the largest West Bank city with some 160,000 Palestinian residents, and famous for its vineyards and grapes.

 

, Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi

Mosque built on the traditional site of the Caves of Machphelah.

The lower part dates from the time of Herod while the main part was formerly a Crusader Church which was an enlargement of the original Byzantine basilica used by Christian pilgrims en route to Abraham’s Oak.

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Israel divided the worship area following the Hebron Massacre of 25 February 1994, when US-born settler Baruch Goldstein from the nearby Kiryat Arab settlement shot and killed 29 Muslim worshippers and wounded over 70 others.

The upper part and four minarets (of which two remain) were added by the Mamluks, who also divided it into several mosques. As the place of David’s anointment and the burial of patriarchs, the sanctuary is regarded as holy by Muslims, Christians and Jews. Today, part of the building has become a synagogue.

 

Israel divided the worship area following the Hebron Massacre of 25 February 1994, when US-born settler Baruch Goldstein from the nearby Kiryat Arab settlement shot and killed 29 Muslim worshippers and wounded over 70 others.

Old Town of Hebron

Hebron is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Palestine, dating back to more than 6,000 years ago. The market’s shops and stalls sell everything from pottery, olive-wood and glass to fresh and dried fruits. The grapes produced here are converted into jam and a kind of molasses and the traditional crafts of glass and pottery making and tanning have been adapted to small scale factory production.

 

 

Oak Of Abraham

An oak tree 2 km west of Hebron marks the legendary site where Abraham pitched his tent.

POLITICAL ISSUES

 

In 1968, the first Jewish settlers, who first acted as Swiss tourists, occupied Park Hotel in downtown Hebron. The group was led by Moshe Levinger, one of the leaders of the settler movement Gush Emunim, and began occupying apartments by force, which later became the first enclaves of Jewish settlements in the city.

 

With around 450 extremist settlers living among tens of thousands of Palestinians in several enclaves in the center of the city, Hebron remains a point of frequent frictions. Two outside observer groups are currently present: the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) and the church-related Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT).

                 Just outside the city are two refugee camps (Al-Fawwar and Arroub Refugee Camps), home to over 12,000 refugees.

 

•                In the Hebron district, there are 27 Israeli settlements that have caused many violent confrontations with the local Palestinian population. The worst situation is in Hebron’s old city, where 400 settlers live, protected by 2,000 Israeli soldiers, among over 150,000 Palestinians. Jewish settlement enclaves inside the Old City include Bet Hadasah, Tel Rumeideh, Bet Romano, Abino Abraham, and the military compound.

 

•                As part of the 1995 Oslo II Agreement, the Israeli government insisted on keeping the Al-Shuhada’a Street, the old vegetable market, and the central bus station in the heart of the old city of Hebron closed.