The skyline of Hebron is dominated by the shrine over the cave of Machpelah, the Haram el- Khalil (Shrine of the Friend), so called because Abraham is known to Muslims as El-Khalil er- Rahman (Friend of the Lord). It stands near the Sultan's Pool (Birket es-Sultan), at which David had the murderers of Ish-bosheth, Saul's last son, executed (2 Samuel 4,7-12). The hovels which formerly surrounded the shrine were pulled down by the Jordanian authorities in 1960, and there is now an unimpeded view of the whole massive structure. The outer walls, their plain surface relieved by pilaster strips, were built by Herod the Great, enclosing an area measuring 65m/215ft by 35m/115ft. The top section of the wall with its battlements dates from the Islamic period, as do the two minarets which survive out of the original four.
A flight of steps on the northeast side leads up to the entrance, which gives access to the forecourt.
Here there are four shrines or cenotaphs, under which are the tombs of the patriarchs. To the right are the mausolea built in the 14th century over the cenotaphs of Jacob (on left) and his wife Leah (on right). To the rear are the cenotaphs of Abraham (on right) and Sarah (on left). All these monuments are hung with richly embroidered cloths.
Beyond the forecourt is the three-aisled prayer hall of the mosque, 28m/92ft across and 24m/79ft deep. Originally this was probably a church built by Justinian and later used by the Crusaders; it was given its present form as a mosque by the Mamelukes in the 14th century. The roof is borne on four columns; half way along the southeast side is the mihrab (prayer niche), and just to the right of this is the richly carved minbar (pulpit), set up by Saladin in 1191. Here there are two other cenotaphs, those of Isaac (on right) and Rebecca. The right-hand part of the hall, which is uncarpeted, was assigned to the Jews in 1967 as a place for prayer, and is no longer regarded as forming part of the mosque. In the floor is an opening through which pious Jews drop into the cave of Machpelah slips of paper with prayers written on them.
A doorway on the west side of the mosque leads into a long corridor which serves as a mosque for women. On the left-hand side the Herodian outer wall has been breached and a square chamber built on. This contains a sarcophagus which is revered by Muslims as that of Joseph. The Jews, however, hold to the Biblical account that Joseph's remains, when brought from Egypt, were taken not to Hebron but to Shechem and buried there (Joshua 24,32).
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