About Cave of the Patriarchs

The Cave of the Patriarchs or the Cave of Machpelah is a burial chamber for the early biblical patriarchs and matriarchs, in the city of Hebron in the West Bank. Abraham purchased the Cave of Machpelah and the adjoining field to bury his wife Sarah. He paid 400 shekels of silver to Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23:1-17). Today, a magnificent 2,000-year-old edifice, built by Herod the Great, stands atop the underground chambers.

Seventh Step

For 700 years (1297-1967), the building and the cave had been barred to Jews. The closest they were allowed to get to the cave area was the steps on the outside of the eastern wall, and even then, they were permitted to ascend only to the seventh step. From there they could insert a prayer note into a small hole in the wall.

History

The Byzantines converted it into a church before the Muslims conquered and made it a mosque. The Crusaders and the Mamluks then made it a church and a mosque again, respectively. By the end of the 13^th century, no one from the public was allowed in the cave. Cenotaphs were added to commemorate the patriarchs and matriarchs buried below. Due to the continued sensitivity of the site, separate prayer halls between Jews and Muslims and stricter security checks were added to ensure the safety of all visitors to this place.