Hebron

Hebron, one of the oldest cities in Palestine, belonging to the tribe of Judah, 21 miles SSW. of Jerusalem. It was anciently called Kirjatharba, and at a later period was the seven years' residence of King David before he conquered Jerusalem. The modern town, El Khalil ('the friend'—of God, Abraham), is a poor place, inhabited by some 10,000 people. It lies low down in a narrow and picturesque valley—the Valley of Eshcol, famous now, as of old, for its thick clustering grapes, its olives, and other fruits. The church erected by the Empress Helena, the mother of Constantine, on the spot where Abraham is said to have been buried, has been converted into a mosque called El-Haram ('sanctuary'), built to enclose the cave which is the traditional burial-place of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their wives. See an article by Conder in the Palestine Exploration Quarterly, October 1882.