Israel tour guide > HEBRON
HEBRON
Hebron, 35kms Southwest of Jerusalem, is one of the four sacred Jewish cities. Amongst the oldest cities in the Holy Land, it is mentioned in the Bible as Kiriath or Mamre; the site where God Appeared to Abraham and announce that Sarah would bear him a son. Rejoicing in this good news Genesis 13:18 tells us how Abraham built an altar to the Lord in praise and thanks. Later in Israelite history King David ruled Judea for seven and a half years from the city amidst the fertile plains.
The city is sacred due to the Cave of Macheepelah, which Abraham purchased as the burial site of Sarah, his wife. She was the first of the many patriarchs and matriarchs said to be a buried here. A monument thought to originate from the period of Herod the Great or maybe earlier stands above the cave marking its religious significance.
