Shrine of the Friend in Hebron

The town of Hebron is located in the Judaean Hills which is in between Jerusalem and Beersheba. Hebron is a place generating lot of political and religious passion. Hebron is about 3050m above the sea level with a long and rich collection of Jewish history. Situated in the west bank of Jordon and in the north of Nabulus Hebron has some places where the visitors can make a trip. One such place is the Shrine of the Friend in Hebron.

The Shrine of the Friend in Hebron dominates the skyline of Hebron and is located over the cave of Machpelah. The Urdu name of the shrine is Haram el- Khalil which means Shrine of the Friend. It is so called because Abraham was known as El- Khalil er- Rahman by the Muslims which means the Friend of the Lord. It is situated near the Sultan's Pool. At this very spot David executed the murderers of Ish-bosheth who was the last son of Saul. Previously the hovels which encircled the shrine, were destroyed in the year 1960 by the Jordanian authorities. This act has left the visitors to have an unobstructed view of the whole impressive structure which is really huge in size.

The Shrine of the Friend in Hebron is an important historical site out of the innumerable historical sites located in Israel. The external walls along with the plain surface are assisted by pillar strips which were built by Herod the great. The structure encloses an area which has the dimension of 65m/215ft by 35m/115ft. The upper portion of the wall including the fortification is there from the Islamic period. There were originally four minarets built during the Islamic period out of which two are still existing in the Shrine of the Friend in Hebron. Apart from the shrine the visitors can also go to the various markets located around the center of the town or can even visit the pottery, woodworking and glass-blowing shops situated at the outskirts of the city.