Palestine: Hebron – Ibrahim Mosque
Ibrahim Mosque (same as the Cave of the Patriarch in Judaism) is one of the sacred biblical places for Jews, Muslims, and a Christians – it is here where the three Patriarchs (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and their wives) are believed to had been buried. In fact, there is some record confirming that Abraham did buy this land as a future burial plot. Under Herod, high walls and rectangular enclosure was built over the site (with stone slabs one meter high and two meters thick). During the Byzantine times, there was a basilica here, that was replaced by a mosque after the Muslim conquest of Levant in 7th century. Crusaders took control of the site in the 12th century and converted it into a church. and then it fell to Saladin who built even a bigger mosque – Mosque of Ibrahim. After the 6-day war in 1967, Israel occupied the West Bank and the mosque was divided into two parts – a mosque and a synagogue, completely divided and separated (more on this in a later post). Inside the buildings lie cenotaphs of Abraham and his wife Sarah, Jacob and his wife Leah, and Isaac and his wife Rebecca.
