Former Prophets
The Burial Cave at Hebron
The Cave of Machpelah (al-Khalil), traditional burial site of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)
Traditional burial site, time of Ibrahim onward (peace be upon him)
Educational historical reconstructionWhere
al-Khalil (Hebron), the Cave of Machpelah
31.5246, 35.1107 · View on OpenStreetMap
Background
The Cave of Machpelah at al-Khalil (Hebron, in the southern Palestinian hill country) is identified in the Sunni topographical tradition (Mujir al-Din al-'Ulaymi's al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wa-al-Khalil, late 15th c.) as the burial place of the prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and members of his family. The city itself takes its standing Arabic name, al-Khalil, the Friend (of Allah), from the Qur'anic title of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) in Q 4:125: wa-ttakhadha Allahu Ibrahima khalilan ('And Allah took Ibrahim as a Friend'). The visible enclosure walls of the cave are Herodian (c. 20 BCE), built of massive dressed limestone in long courses with the characteristic Herodian anathyrosis margined dressing. The Sunni tradition identifies the burials within the cave as: Ibrahim (peace be upon him), his wife Sarah, his son Ishaq (peace be upon him), Ishaq's wife Rebecca, his son Ya'qub (peace be upon him), and Ya'qub's wife Leah. The hadith of Anas ibn Malik (radiyallahu 'anhu) in Sahih Muslim 162 (the long hadith of al-Isra') preserves the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) visit to the site on the night of al-Isra' wa-l-Mi'raj. The site became one of the foundational Muslim sacred sites: known as Masjid Ibrahim, it was incorporated into the Muslim religious landscape from the conquest of al-Sham in the early Rashidun period; the Christian basilica that the Byzantines had built within the Herodian enclosure was converted to a mosque; the Crusader occupation (1099-1187 CE) reverted it to a church; Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (rahimahu Allah) returned the site to Muslim use after the recovery of al-Quds in 583 AH (1187 CE). This scene depicts the city and the enclosure as it stood through the medieval Sunni period, with the Herodian walls preserved and the Masjid Ibrahim within. The dating is by anchor (the time of Ibrahim peace be upon him) for the burials, with the architectural fabric of the Herodian period. The coordinate identifies the site in the heart of medieval al-Khalil.
What you see
A small hill city in the limestone uplands of southern Palestine, set among terraced vineyards and olive groves. The city's central rise is dominated by an enormous rectangular enclosure of massive dressed limestone blocks.
The Herodian enclosure walls of the Cave of Machpelah, built of massive dressed limestone in long courses with the characteristic Herodian anathyrosis (margined dressing). The walls are unbroken on the exterior; the interior was, in successive periods, the site of a Christian basilica, an early mosque, and later modifications.
The site is identified in the Sunni tradition as the burial place of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), al-Khalil, the Friend of Allah (Q 4:125), and of his wife Sarah, his son Ishaq (peace be upon him), Ishaq's wife Rebecca, his son Ya'qub (peace be upon him), and Ya'qub's wife Leah. The hadith of Anas (radiyallahu 'anhu) preserves the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) visit to the site on the night of al-Isra' (Sahih Muslim 162).
The enclosure has the distinctive Herodian pilaster pattern at the top of each course. The original cave is below the floor of the modern building; the cenotaphs of the patriarchs are visible at ground level. No identifiable historical individual is depicted.
The site is Masjid Ibrahim, the Mosque of Ibrahim, in the standard Sunni topographical tradition; one of the foundational sacred sites of the Muslim world. Sultan Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (rahimahu Allah) returned the site to Muslim use after the First Crusade and the subsequent Frankish occupation.
The light is the silver Mediterranean light of the southern Palestinian hill country. The dating is by anchor: the time of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) for the original burials, but the visible architectural fabric is Herodian (c. 20 BCE) and was already standing in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
The Sunni topographical tradition: Mujir al-Din al-'Ulaymi's al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wa-al-Khalil (15th c.) is the standard Sunni source on the site.
Primary sources
The Qur'an, Surat al-Nisa' 4:125: The Qur'anic title al-khalil (the Friend) of Ibrahim (peace be upon him), from which the city takes its standing Arabic name.
Sahih Muslim 162: The long hadith of al-Isra' wa-l-Mi'raj on the authority of Anas (radiyallahu 'anhu); preserves the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) visit to the burial sites of the prophets.
Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (14th c.): Synthesises the qisas tradition on Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and the family of prophets.
Further reading & cross-references
Mujir al-Din al-'Ulaymi al-Hanbali, al-Uns al-Jalil bi-Tarikh al-Quds wa-al-Khalil (late 15th c.): The standard Sunni topographical history of Jerusalem and Hebron, by a Hanbali qadi of Jerusalem. The principal Sunni source on the site of the Cave of Machpelah and Masjid Ibrahim.
Herodian Period archaeology (late Second Temple period architecture studies): Non-confessional architectural reference for the dating and identification of the enclosure walls (c. 20 BCE).
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