31°32N 35°06E, pop (2000e) 135 000. Capital city of Hebron governorate (Jordan), Israeli-occupied West Bank, W Jordan; 29 km/18 mi SW of Jerusalem; one of the oldest cities in the world, built 1730 BC; a religious centre of Islam; the home of Abraham; shrine of Haram al-Khalil over the Cave of Machpelah.
The name "Hebron" derives from the Hebrew name for the city, which ultimately comes from חבר (habar 598), meaning "to be joined, coupled, allied."
Hebron is located 30 km south of Jerusalem. The old city of Hebron is characterized by narrow, winding streets, flat-roofed stone houses, and old bazaars.
The most famous historic site in Hebron sits on the the Tomb of the Patriarchs or Cave of Machpelah (Hebrew: מערת המכפלה, or Me'arat ha-Machpelah;
History
Ancient period
Hebron is one of the most ancient cities in the Middle East, and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Hebron was an ancient Canaanite royal city, which according to archaeological findings was probably founded in the 35th century BCE, and mentioned in the Bible as existing during the 18th century BCE.
Hebron is mentioned as being formerly called Kirjath-arba, before being conquered by Joshua and the Israelites (Joshua 14). Hebron became one of the principal centers of the Tribe of Judah, and the Judahite David was anointed King of Israel in Hebron and reigned in the city until the capture of Jerusalem, when the capital of the Kingdom of Israel was moved to that city. Jar handle stamps bearing Hebrew letters dating from 700 BCE, the oldest known inscription naming the city, have been found in Hebron (see LMLK seal).
After the destruction of the First Temple, most of the Jewish inhabitants of Hebron were exiled and their place was taken by Edomites at about 587 BCE.
Medieval period
The Islamic Caliphate established rule over Hebron without resistance in 638.
Arab rule lasted until 1099, when the Christian Crusader Godfrey de Bouillon took Hebron in 1099 and renamed it "Castellion Saint Abraham". Towards the end of the period of Crusader rule, in 1166 Maimonides was able to visit Hebron and wrote, "And on the first day of the week, the ninth day of the month of Marheshvan, I left Jerusalem for Hebron to kiss the graves of my forefathers in the Cave of Makhpela.
The Kurdish Muslim Salaḥ ed-Dīn took Hebron in 1187, and changed the name of the city back to "Hebron". Duing this period, a small Jewish community continued to live in Hebron, however the climate was less tolerant of Jews (and Christians) than it had been under prior Islamic rule. He noted that in Hebron there was an, "Ancient synagogue in which they prayed day and night in 1333. Hebron at this time became a center of Jewish learning.
Under the British mandate
In December 1917 and during World War I, the British occupied Hebron. In 1929, Arabs killed 67 Jews and wounded 60, and Jewish homes and synagogues were ransacked in the anti-Jewish 1929 Hebron massacre. Two years later, 35 families moved back into the ruins of the Jewish quarter, but after further riots, the British Government decided to move all Jews out of Hebron "to prevent another massacre".
Jordanian rule
Following the creation of the State of Israel in 1948, the Jordan took over the control of Hebron and the rest of the West Bank.
Israeli rule
After the Six Day War, in June 1967, Hebron and the rest of the West Bank came under Israeli control (See Israeli-occupied territories).
In 1969, a group of Jewish settlers began to reside in the city, though a government compromise soon focused the Jewish presence to the east in the new settlement of Kiryat Arba. Beginning in 1979, Jewish settlers moved from Kiryat Arba to the old Avraham Avinu neighborhood, and later to other Hebron neighborhoods including Tel Rumeida. The H1 sector, home to around 120,000 Palestinians, came under the control of the Palestinian Authority, in accordance with Hebron Protocol.
Funds from Arab nations earmarked for the reconstruction of homes in Hebron destroyed by Israeli bulldozers during the second intifada was reported to have reached PA leaders close to Yasser Arafat rather than the intended recipients.
A year later, the Mayor of Hebron invited the Christian Peacemaker Teams to assist them the local Palestinian community in opposition to what they describe as Israeli military occupation, collective punishment, settler harassment, home demolitions and land confiscation.
The UN subsequently established an international unarmed observer force - the Temporary International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) to maintain a buffer between the Palestinian Arab population of the city and the Jews residing in their enclave in the old city.
Demographics thoroughout history
| Year | Muslims | Christians | Jews | Total | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1538 | 749 h | 7 h | 20 h | 776 h | (h = households) Source: Cohen & Lewis |
| 1817 | 500 | ||||
| 1838 | 700 | ||||
| 1837 | 423 | Montefiore census | |||
| 1866 | 497 | Montefiore census | |||
| 1922 | 16,074 | 73 | 430 | 16,577 | British Mandate Census |
| 1931 | 17,275 | 112 | 135 | 17,522 | British Mandate Census |
| 1944 | 24,400 | 150 | 0 | 24,550 | Estimate |
| 1967 | 38,203 | 106 | 0 | 38,309 | Census |
| 1997 | 130,000 | 3 | 530 | 130,533 |
Jewish settlement after 1967
Following the Six-Day War of 1967, a group of Jews disguised as tourists, led by Rabbi Moshe Levinger, took over the main hotel in Hebron and refused to leave. In 1979, Levinger's wife led 30 Jewish women to take over the Daboya Hospital (Beit Hadassah) in central Hebron. Many reports, both foreign and Israeli are sharply critical of the new settlers eg and
On May 15, 2006, remnants of the previous 800 member community that fled 1929 Hebron massacre, while urging the government, in their names, to continue its support of Jewish settlement in Hebron, sent the government a letter urging it to allow the return of eight Jewish families evacuated last January from the homes they set up in empty shops by the Avraham Avinu neighborhood.
Cultural, historical and sporting landmarks
Adjacent to the municipality building, Hebron archaeological museum has a collection of artifacts from the Cannanite to the Islamic periods.
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