Hebron
Cities of the Crusades
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Hebron is one of the oldest cities in the Middle East and one of the oldest cities still inhabited by people. Originally a royal Canaanite city captured by the Israelites, it was probably founded some time during the 18th century BCE. David was anointed king in Hebron, one of the reasons that it is considered one of Judaism's holiest sites. Another is the tradition that Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah are all buried here - something that makes it holy to Muslims as well, thus causing the city to become a point of dispute between Jews and Muslims. Most of the population today is Muslim and there are only a few hundred Jewish settlers in the area.
During the Crusade the Western Christians captured the city in 1100 and built a church at the site of the main Muslim mosque, but this was torn down by Saladin when he recaptured Hebron.
| Cities of the Crusades: Hebron | |
| Hebron (undated) |
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| Hebron (1932) |
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