Cave of the Patriarchs

The Cave of the Patriarchs or Tomb of the Patriarchs, known to Jews by its Biblical name Cave of Machpelah (Biblical Hebrew: מְעָרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה, romanized: Məʿāraṯ hamMaḵpēlā^ⓘ, lit. 'Cave of the Double') and to Muslims as the Ibrahami Mosque (Arabic: المسجد الإبراهيمي, romanized: al-Masjid al-ʾibrāhīmī), or Sanctuary of Ibrahim (Arabic: الحرم الإبراهيمي, romanized: al-Ḥaram al-ʾibrāhīmī^ⓘ), is a series of caves situated in the heart of the Old City of Hebron in the West Bank, 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Jerusalem. According to the Abrahamic religions, the cave and adjoining field were purchased by Abraham as a burial plot. The site is considered a holy place in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Over the cave stands a large rectangular enclosure dating from the Herodian era. During Byzantine rule of the region, a Christian basilica was built on the site; the structure was converted into the Ibrahimi Mosque following the Muslim conquest of the Levant. By the 12th century, the mosque and its surrounding regions had fallen under Crusader-state control, but were retaken in 1188 by the Ayyubid sultan Saladin, who again converted the structure into a mosque. In 1119 CE, a monk found bones inside the cave, believing them to be the bones of the patriarchs.

During the Six-Day War of 1967, the entire Jordanian-ruled West Bank was seized and occupied by the State of Israel, after which the mosque was divided, with half of it repurposed as a synagogue. In 1968, special Jewish services were authorized outside the usual permitted hours on the Jewish New Year and Day of Atonement.