Hebron
Introduction
Hebron is a city in the southern West Bank, Palestine, and the capital of the Hebron Governorate. It sits roughly 30 kilometers south of Jerusalem, and the governorate around it is the largest in the West Bank. The city is venerated in Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and is often counted among the Four Holy Cities of Judaism.
Beyond its religious standing, Hebron is a substantial urban centre in its own right, with a metropolitan area that extends well past the city limits into the surrounding governorate.
Before you go
Hebron is a city holy to both Muslims and Jews through its association with Abraham, and it is mentioned in the Bible as his home and the burial place of him and several generations of his family. In King David's time it was briefly the capital of the Israelite state before the capital moved to Jerusalem. Today it is divided into two sectors: H1, which is entirely Palestinian and under full Palestinian control, and H2, which contains all the Jewish residents and is under full Israeli control. The Cave of the Patriarchs, the main holy site, sits on the border between the two. This is one of the tensest places between Jews and Palestinians, and it is not a good place to express your opinion on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Be wary of unofficial guides and touts, who may approach you on the basis of charity or political activism, show you pictures of other Westerners, assume you are Jewish if you do not state your nationality, and become pushy about money; they may also steer you toward shops and falsely tell you that sites such as the Cave of the Patriarchs are closed. Be firm if you are not interested. Many travellers are warned that Hebron is unsafe, but during peace times it is no less safe than any other city in the West Bank, and if you are non-Jewish you are unlikely to be a target; you may well be greeted with "welcome!" in the city centre, though in some Palestinian suburbs around the Kiryat Arba settlement tourists are not a regular occurrence and a small minority of locals may be less friendly, especially if they believe you to be associated with the settlement. The special situation here makes a visit a must if you want to understand more about the conflict.Getting there
How you reach Hebron depends on which side of the city you are heading for, and the two are served by separate bus networks. If you are visibly Jewish, it is probably not safe to travel unaccompanied to the "other" side of Hebron; if you look and sound like an international tourist, you should be fine on both sides.
- To the Jewish side from Jerusalem: take bus 381 or 383 from the CBS. The third from the last stop (Me'arat Hamahpela) is in front of the Cave of the Patriarchs on the Jewish side; the final stop (Beit Romano) is a five minute walk from an H1/H2 checkpoint.
- To the Jewish side from Be'er Sheva: take bus 254, which terminates at the nearby Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, from where you can take 381 or 383 over to the Jewish side of Hebron. The transfer might be free if you show them the bus 254 ticket.
- To the Palestinian side from Jerusalem: take bus 21 from the Sultan Suleiman bus station just out and to the right from Damascus gate, and tell them Hebron or Al-Khalil (Arabic). They will take you to a mid way drop off point at the Bethlehem bus station. From there, go to the very bottom floor of the Bethlehem bus station where a servees (the Palestinian version of a sherut, called a serv-eese in Arabic) will deliver you to Hebron. Alternatively, take the bus to Abu Dis and tell the bus driver you are going to Khalil.
- To the Palestinian side from Bethlehem: from the very bottom floor of the Bethlehem bus station (at Manger Street) a servees will deliver you to Hebron.
- To the Palestinian side from Ramallah: direct servees to Hebron depart from one of the many bus stations in Ramallah, just ask around. It might be faster to go to Bethlehem first, though.
- To the Palestinian side from Be'er Sheva: make your way to the last stop in front of the Church of the Patriarchs on the Jewish side, as explained above. From there just walk further passing by at least three Israeli checkpoints, with the last checkpoint being a gate which "delivers" you to the Palestinian side. Alternatively, you can directly enter the Palestinian side via a gate to the left of the Muslim entrance of the Church of the Patriarchs, after which however you will need to go through a lengthy and little depressing souq alley.
Arriving at Kiryat Arba, you can also walk directly into the Palestinian part of Hebron – consult Google Maps for the best way. However, taking the short ride with the Egged bus might be more convenient coming here the first time.
Getting around
Hebron has no rail, metro or tram network, so all movement into and around the city is by road or on foot. The city effectively has two sides — a Palestinian side and a Jewish side — and getting around means understanding how to move within each and how to cross between them. At least two gates allow pedestrian traffic between the sides; the most convenient for travellers is the Bab El-Zawiya crossing, a five-minute walk from the Beit Romano bus stop on David Hamelech Street, with parking for Israeli-registered vehicles just before the crossing. Palestinian taxi drivers are generally not allowed to drive to the Jewish side, so to reach it you will need a taxi or bus from an Israeli town or a Jewish settlement such as Kiryat Arba. Internationals can drive into the Jewish side provided the driver is not Palestinian. It is possible to walk from Kiryat Arba to the Cave of the Patriarchs directly via a stubby sidewalk, a route of roughly 25 minutes; if that is not possible, walk via the Palestinian side and then through one of the gates coming from Be'er Sheva.
On the Palestinian side, the shared taxi known as a servees is the workhorse for regional travel, and the Hebron Bus Station for servees to the surrounding areas, Bethlehem and Ramallah sits on the upper floors of the Jeel-Saed shopping centre along Adel Street. Taxi rides within the city on the Palestinian side are short and cheap, but agree on a price before getting in; for out-of-town sights, take a servees from the service-taxi/bus station or negotiate a fair price with a driver. Walking covers each side well, though the two feel very different on foot: the Jewish side is small enough that a ten-minute walk takes you from one end to the other, while the Palestinian side's Old City — narrow, winding streets, flat-roofed stone houses and old bazaars — is best explored on foot, and some routes between areas involve lengthy walks through souq alleys. If you are visibly Jewish, it is probably not safe to travel unaccompanied to the other side; if you look and sound like an international tourist, you should be fine on both sides.
Where to stay
Hebron's sleeping options cluster around Bab Al-Zawiya Square and the streets just beyond it, putting you within walking distance of the old city and the checkpoint gate into the Palestinian side. The budget choice in town is a hostel on the third floor of a complex on the square, reached via the entrance to al-Sa'ah Restaurant on the building's north-eastern side; dorms are the main draw and it has become an increasingly popular base for travellers.
- H2 Hostel Hebron — Bab Al-Zawiya Square, third floor of the complex opposite the junction; dorm beds, the budget standby.
- Homestay — rooms with families in the old city, with trips arrangeable; ask ahead.
- Al-Amanah Hotel — Ein Sarah Street, about five minutes from the city centre at Bab El Zawyieh.
- Abu Mazen Hotel — Namera Street.
- Queen Plaza Hotel — Ainsara.
For the mid-range hotels, it is worth contacting management directly to confirm room availability and current rates before you commit.
Food & drink
For a quick bite, buy tabun bread in the Bab il Zaweya quarter and pick up a container of hummus nearby. Falafel is one of the most famous snacks in Palestine, and Hebron's falafel restaurants are always crowded for good reason. Abu Saadee Falafel sits at the corner, about 100 m in on the fruits and vegetables street into the Old Town, with no seating. Falafel No. 2 is right after Abu Saadee and feels more like a buzzing restaurant. Falafel Shorla on Ein Sarah Street, roughly 500 m in, lets you add the salad yourself, so you can pile on as many pickles as you want. Hebron is also famous for its traditional dish, Al-Qidrah (Al-Khaliliyah), made mainly with rice and meat, chicken or lamb. It is usually eaten on Fridays and other festivals, and because it takes time to prepare and should be cooked in a woody oven in a bakery, it is not easy to find in a casual restaurant. Look for it at places like Abu Mazen and Alquds in Ras el jora. If you have a sweet tooth, visit the many sweets shops around Hebron and try kunafa/kenafeh, Baqlawa, Harisah and Kolaj. As an overwhelmingly Muslim city with a more conservative culture than places such as Bethlehem and Ramallah, alcoholic drinks are not available on the Palestinian side of Hebron. Nightlife centers on Ein Sarah street, with plenty of coffee shops and shisha lounges. If you don't enjoy coffee, most cafés also serve orange, carrot and pomegranate juice cheaply. Badran Café is a historic café on the Palestinian side, around for at least 150 years, and the place to have an intellectual discussion over Arabic coffee in town.What to see and do
Hebron's central draw is the Cave of the Patriarchs, also known as the Ibrahimi Mosque or Machpelah Cave, where the Patriarchs and their wives are said to be buried deep underground. Prayer now takes place in the Herodian building above the cave, split into Muslim and Jewish sections; visitors are welcome on both sides outside scheduled prayer times, and cloaks are provided on the Muslim side for women to cover up. The Muslim section holds the only known entrance to the cave below, closed by a marble door, along with the tomb-markers of Isaac and Rebecca; the markers of Abraham and Sarah sit on the border between the two sections, while Jacob and Leah's are in the Jewish section. On a few predetermined days each year one religion receives the use of the entire building.
Beyond the cave, the city rewards walking. Cross the gates and observe this distinct example of a divided city, and wander the Old Town and its market on the Palestinian side, which empties into a ghost town on Friday afternoons. Among the sights are Beit Romano, a yeshiva building dating to 1901 and used as a yeshiva again since 1980; Tel Rumeida, where excavations revealed a city wall and staircase some 4,500 years old, with the Hebron Observatory in the apartment building on top; the Tomb of Yishai and Ruth, with its synagogue and the Giant's Wall; Abraham's Well; the Russian Orthodox Church of the Holy Forefathers and Monastery of the Holy Trinity; the Oak of Mamre and the nearby Oak of Abraham Monastery; the Avraham Avinu Synagogue, first built in 1540 and rebuilt after its destruction in 1948; the 13th-century Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque and the 14th-century Al-Jawali Mosque; and the old Jewish cemetery, restored after being largely destroyed following the 1948 war. Museums include the Old Hebron Museum in the restored former Palestine Hotel, the Hebron Museum on the Jewish side, and the small Hebron University Museum with its coins and pottery. For context, consider a dual-guide tour offering Israeli and Palestinian perspectives, or a tour of the H2 side led by former soldiers, which is popular enough that you should book well ahead.
When to go
Hebron has a temperate Mediterranean climate, so the season you choose shapes your trip considerably. Summers are hot and dry, with scarce rain and plenty of sun, making this a good time for exploring the city if you can handle the heat. Winters, by contrast, are mild and rainy, with most of the precipitation falling in January and February.
If you visit during the winter months, expect wet conditions and pack rain gear. Summer visitors should prepare for dry, sunny days.
Three days in Hebron
Day one: Start in Hebron's Old City, where the Cave of the Patriarchs — known in Arabic as the Ibrahimi Mosque and sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam — anchors the city's standing as one of the Four Holy Cities. The site is associated with Abraham and the biblical patriarchs, and the surrounding lanes of the Old City give you a feel for everyday Palestinian life in the Hebron Governorate. Beit Romano and the neighbourhood around it are worth walking through as you get your bearings.
Day two: Look beyond the central sites and spend the day understanding how the city is divided. Kiryat Arba, the Israeli settlement adjoining Hebron, sits close to the Cave of the Patriarchs, and the contrast between it and the Palestinian quarters is part of what shapes the city today. The Tomb of the Patriarchs area, including the site known as Me Hamahpela, remains the focal point for both Jewish and Muslim worshippers, and the tensions around it are part of daily life here.
Day three: Head out of the city for a wider view of the region. Jerusalem is within reach and makes a natural counterpart to Hebron, sharing the same religious and historical weight. If you have time, the area associated with King David and the Israelite period adds context to what you have seen. Sultan Suleiman's building works left their mark on the Old City's fabric, and noticing them as you leave gives a sense of how many layers this place holds.