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135-793: Ma'an was founded by the Minaeans (known as "Ma'in" in Arabic), an ancient Arab people based in Yemen , between the 2nd and 4th century BCE. The site was located on a major trade route and was settled by Minaean traders and merchants. Local tradition has it that the city was named after "Ma'an", the son of Lot . During the Byzantine era in Syria, Ma'an was part of the territory of the Arab Christian tribe of Banu Judham who served as vassals for

270-457: A Kenite element, since the nomadic Kenites are said to have long occupied the city, and Heber is the name for a Kenite clan. In the narrative of the later Hebrew conquest, Hebron was one of two centres under Canaanite control. They were ruled by the three sons of Anak ( b nê/y lîdê hāʿănaq ). or may reflect some Kenite and Kenizzite migration from the Negev to Hebron, since terms related to

405-655: A church , and then a mosque . With the exception of a brief Crusader control , successive Muslim dynasties ruled Hebron from the 6th century CE until the Ottoman Empire 's dissolution following World War I , when the city became part of British Mandatory Palestine . The 1929 riots and the Arab uprising of 1936–39 led the British government to evacuate the Jewish community from Hebron. The 1948 Arab–Israeli War saw

540-468: A "small city", with a khan (" caravanserai ") that included a "market for provisions" and a hostel. Muslim traveler Ibn Batutah noted Ma'an was "the last place in Syria" before reaching Aqaba as-Sawan in the Hejaz . Because of its geographic isolation from the rest of Syria and a low frequency of travelers (with the exception of Mecca-bound pilgrims), the history of Ma'an was the least well-documented of

675-502: A basic sense of 'unite' and connoting a range of meanings from "colleague" to "friend". In the proper name Hebron , the original sense may have been alliance . The Arabic name for Hebron, al-Khalīl , emerged as the city's actual name in the 13th century. Earlier Muslim sources refer to the city as Ḥabra or Ḥabrūn. The name al-Khalīl derives from the Qur'anic epithet for Abraham , Khalil al-Rahman ( إبراهيم خليل الرحمن ) "Beloved of

810-425: A buffer against a potential British invasion of Syria. This effort failed, although a new proposal in 1886 would see Ma'an serve as the capital of a district including the kazas of al-Karak and Tafilah and the nahiyas (subdistricts smaller than kazas ) of Amman , Bani Hamida and Wadi Musa . Governor Osman Nuri Pasha's goal in this respect was to establish a government center in southern Transjordan to "avoid

945-494: A campaign to subdue rebellious sheiks in the Hebron area, and while doing so, allowed his troops to sack the town. Though it was widely rumoured that he secretly protected Abd ar-Rahman, the latter was deported together with other local leaders (such as Muslih al-'Azza of Bayt Jibrin ), but he managed to return to the area in 1848. According to Hillel Cohen, the attacks on Jews in this particular period are an exception that proves

1080-636: A confederated settlement of four families. The story of Abraham's purchase of the Cave of the Patriarchs from the Hittites constitutes a seminal element in what was to become the Jewish attachment to the land in that it signified the first "real estate" of Israel long before the conquest under Joshua. In settling here, Abraham is described as making his first covenant , an alliance with two local Amorite clans who became his ba'alei brit or masters of

1215-551: A courtyard from the small Karaite community, in which he established the Sephardic Abraham Avinu Synagogue . In 1659, Abraham Pereyra of Amsterdam founded the Hesed Le'Abraham yeshiva in Hebron, which attracted many students. In the early 18th century, the Jewish community suffered from heavy debts, almost quadrupling from 1717 to 1729, and were "almost crushed" from the extortion practiced by

1350-528: A covered tank outside the town. The Sanctuary stood on the town's southern border, enclosed by four walls. Barley was the primary crop, with abundant olives. Visitors were provided with bread, olives, lentils cooked in olive oil, and raisins. Hebron had numerous mills operated by oxen and mules, along with working girls baking bread. The hospitality extended to about three-pound loaves of bread and meals for every arriving person, including up to 500 pilgrims on certain days. The tradition survives to this day in

1485-466: A group who is a direct descendant of the 1929 refugees urged the government to continue its support of Jewish settlement, and allow the return of eight families evacuated the previous January from homes they set up in emptied shops near the Avraham Avinu neighborhood. Beit HaShalom , established in 2007 under disputed circumstances, was under court orders permitting its forced evacuation. All

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1620-516: A large demonstration in Ma'an protesting the threat of an American attack against Iraq turned into a miniature uprising. The flags of Saudi Arabia were flown by some protesters. Jordanian Special Forces and police attempted to quell the protests, resulting in the death of a demonstrator and the injury of 25 people, including police officers. King Hussein had the Jordanian Army deployed and Ma'an

1755-536: A pattern for settlers in Bethlehem and Nablus. Many reports, foreign and Israeli, are sharply critical of the behaviour of Hebronite settlers. Sheik Farid Khader heads the Ja'bari tribe, consisting of some 35,000 people, which is considered one of the most important tribes in Hebron. For years, members of the Ja'bari tribe were the mayors of Hebron. Khader regularly meets with settlers and Israeli government officials and

1890-657: A result of a revolt by the Banu Tamim tribe. Since then, the Ottomans had struggled to maintain full control of the area. Ma'an was divided into two distinct quarters since the Umayyad period: Ma'an al-Shamiyya and Ma'an al-Hijaziyya. The latter served as the main town, while the former was a small neighborhood inhabited by Syrians from the north. The city continued to be a major town on the Hajj pilgrimage route and its economy

2025-615: A retaliation, a 29-year-old preacher from Hebron, Raed Abdel-Hamed Mesk, broke a unilateral Palestinian ceasefire by killing 23 and injured over 130 in a bus bombing in Jerusalem. In 2007, the Palestinian population in H2 declined due to Israeli security measures such as extended curfews, strict restrictions on movement, the closure of Palestinian businesses and settler harassment. Palestinians are barred from using Al-Shuhada Street ,

2160-589: A scene witnessed by representatives of the English, French and other Western consulates. After crushing all opposition, Kamil appointed Salama Amr, brother and rival of Abd al Rachman, as nazir of the Hebron region. Relative quiet reigned in the town for the next 4 years. In 1866, Hungarian Jews of the Karlin Hasidic court settled in Hebron. According to Nadav Shragai , Arab-Jewish relations were good, and Alter Rivlin, who spoke Arabic and Syrian-Aramaic,

2295-516: A shooting attack on the road to Hebron On March 27, 2001, a Palestinian sniper targeted and killed the Jewish baby Shalhevet Pass . The sniper was caught in 2002. Hebron is one of the three West Bank towns from which the majority of suicide bombers originate. In May 2003, three students of the Hebron Polytechnic University carried out three separate suicide attacks. In August 2003, in what both Islamic groups described as

2430-583: A significant role in the economic development of Jordan. Although a significant number of people relocated to Jerusalem from Hebron during the Jordanian period, Hebron itself saw a considerable increase in population with 35,000 settling in the town. During this period, signs of the previous Jewish presence in Hebron were removed. After the Six-Day War in June 1967, Israel occupied Hebron along with

2565-545: A testament to their relationship of mutual trust, Ma'an's inhabitants were able to bargain down or withhold payment of the khuwwa during tough economic years. The major tribes around the city were the 'Anizzah and the Huwaytat . During the late 19th century, there were numerous attempts by the Ottoman authorities to elevate Ma'an's political status at over al-Karak, although most attempts failed or were short-lived. In 1868

2700-756: A veil in order to pass as Muslim women and enter the Cave of the Patriarchs without being recognized as Jews. Minute descriptions of Hebron were recorded in Stephen von Gumpenberg's Journal (1449), by Felix Fabri (1483) and by Mejr ed-Din It was in this period, also, that the Mamluk Sultan Qa'it Bay revived the old custom of the Hebron "table of Abraham", and exported it as a model for his own madrasa in Medina . This became an immense charitable establishment near

2835-655: A wall...Then the King, after providing new shrouds, caused the place to be closed once more". Similar information is given in Ibn at Athir 's Chronicle under the year 1119; "In this year was opened the tomb of Abraham, and those of his two sons Isaac and Jacob ...Many people saw the Patriarch. Their limbs had nowise been disturbed , and beside them were placed lamps of gold and of silver." The Damascene nobleman and historian Ibn al-Qalanisi in his chronicle also alludes at this time to

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2970-467: A year only. In 1845 Ma'an al-Hijaziyya had a population of 200 households and Ma'an al-Shamiyya 20 families. Karl Baedeker estimated its population to be around 3,000 in 1912 and the same number was recorded in Guide Bleu' s survey in 1932. By 1956 Ma'an's population reached 4,500 and in 1973 it was 9,500. Ma'an has now 75000 with 5 large tribes (Kreshan, Shamiah, Bazaia, Hararah, Fanatsah). In 1961,

3105-473: Is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank , 30 kilometres (19 mi) south of Jerusalem . Hebron is capital of the West Bank's largest governorate , known as Hebron Governorate . With a population of 201,063 in the city limits, the adjacent metropolitan area within the governorate is home to over 700,000 people. Hebron spans across an area of 74.102 square kilometres (28.611 sq mi). It

3240-542: Is a strong opponent of both the concept of Palestinian State and the Palestinian Authority itself. Khader believes that Jews and Arabs must learn to coexist. A violent episode occurred May 2, 1980, when an Al Fatah squad killed five yeshiva students and one other person on their way home from Sabbath prayer at the Tomb of the Patriarchs . The event provided a major motivation for settlers near Hebron to join

3375-531: Is home to numerous shopping malls. The Old City of Hebron features narrow, winding streets, flat-roofed stone houses, and old bazaars . It is recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO . Hebron is also known as a regional educational and medical hub. The name "Hebron" appears to trace back to two northwest Semitic languages , which coalesce in the form ḥbr , having reflexes in Hebrew and Amorite , with

3510-621: Is the third largest city in the country , followed by Gaza and Jerusalem . The city is often considered one of the four holy cities in Judaism as well as in Islam and Christianity . It is considered one of the oldest cities in the Levant. According to the Bible , Abraham settled in Hebron and bought the Cave of the Patriarchs as burial place for his wife Sarah . Biblical tradition holds that

3645-506: Is the only university in Ma'an, it offers a range of 38 undergraduate degrees, these being across the disciplines of engineering, arts, science, business administration, archaeology, education and nursing . It also offers postgraduate diplomas in education and in higher administration. Ma'an is home to the Ma'an Development Area (MDA), a special economic zone with reduced income taxes, no other taxes (including taxes on income from exports), and streamlined regulatory procedures. Construction of

3780-518: Is to "ensure the security of the Jewish settlers" and that Israeli "soldiers have acted with the utmost restraint and have not initiated any shooting attacks or violence". Hebron was the one city excluded from the interim agreement of September 1995 to restore rule over all Palestinian West Bank cities to the Palestinian Authority . IDF soldiers see their job as being to protect Israeli settlers from Palestinian residents, not to police

3915-564: Is unknown. The order of succession and the dates of individual Minaean kings is extremely uncertain; the following table presents the reconstruction of Kenneth A. Kitchen. It should however be pointed out that the reconstruction of Hermann von Wissmann deviates from this considerably, and is just as probable. Hebron Hebron ( / ˈ h iː b r ən , ˈ h ɛ b r ən / ; Arabic : الخليل al-Khalīl , pronunciation or خَلِيل الرَّحْمَن Khalīl al-Raḥmān ; Hebrew : חֶבְרוֹן Ḥevrōn , pronunciation )

4050-572: The Haram , distributing daily some 1,200 loaves of bread to travellers of all faiths. The Italian rabbi Obadiah ben Abraham Bartenura wrote around 1490: I was in the Cave of Machpelah, over which the mosque has been built; and the Arabs hold the place in high honour. All the Kings of the Arabs come here to repeat their prayers, but neither a Jew nor an Arab may enter the Cave itself, where the real graves of

4185-598: The Israeli occupation of the West Bank . The 1997 protocol divided the city into two sectors—H1 Hebron, controlled by the Palestinian National Authority, and H2 Hebron , managed by Israeli authorities. All security arrangements and travel permits for local residents are coordinated between the Palestinian Authority and Israel via the COGAT . The Jewish settlers have their own governing municipal body,

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4320-808: The Jewish Underground . In the 1980s Hebron, became the center of the Jewish Kach movement, a designated terrorist organization, whose first operations started there, and provided a model for similar behaviour in other settlements. On July 26, 1983, Israeli settlers attacked the Islamic University and shot three people dead and injured over thirty others. The 1994 Shamgar Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israeli authorities had consistently failed to investigate or prosecute crimes committed by settlers against Palestinians. Hebron IDF commander Noam Tivon said that his foremost concern

4455-617: The Muslim state in Medina , sent an army led by Usama ibn Zayd to conquer Ma'an. When the Umayyads took control of the Caliphate , Ma'an entered a period of relative prosperity. In 951 the Persian geographer Istakhri described it as "a small town on the border of the desert." He claimed that most of its inhabitants belonged the Umayyad family or their clients even though by that time

4590-582: The Sassanid general Shahrbaraz in 614 when Khosrau II 's armies besieged and took Jerusalem. Jews were not permitted to reside in Hebron under Byzantine rule. The sanctuary itself however was spared by the Persians, in deference to the Jewish population, who were numerous in the Sassanid army . Hebron was one of the last cities of Palestine to fall to the Islamic invasion in the 7th century , possibly

4725-606: The Seljuk period , the community was headed by Saadia b. Abraham b. Nathan, known as the " haver of the graves of the patriarchs." The Caliphate lasted in the area until 1099, when the Christian Crusader Godfrey de Bouillon took Hebron and renamed it "Castellion Saint Abraham". It was designated capital of the southern district of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem and given, in turn, as

4860-632: The Sharifian throne in Damascus following its overthrow by France . He addressed the French colonization of Syria by stating to Ma'an's residents "The colonialist has come to you to rob you of the three graces: faith, freedom and masculinity." Following the British capture of the area during World War I , the British Mandate of Palestine was established in 1922 and included Transjordan which

4995-566: The Tribe of Judah as a whole, or specifically Caleb the Judahite. The town itself, with some contiguous pasture land, is then said to have been granted to the Levites of the clan of Kohath , while the fields of the city, as well as its surrounding villages were assigned to Caleb ( Joshua 21:3–12; 1 Chronicles 6:54–56 ), who expels the three giants, Sheshai , Ahiman , and Talmai , who ruled

5130-451: The old Jewish cemetery there. Sunni imam Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya (1292–1350) was penalised by the religious authorities in Damascus for refusing to recognise Hebron as a Muslim pilgrimage site, a view also held by his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah . The Jewish-Italian traveller, Meshullam of Volterra (1481) found not more than twenty Jewish families living in Hebron. and recounted how the Jewish women of Hebron would disguise themselves with

5265-435: The 1923 elections for a Legislative Council was made at the fifth Palestinian Congress , after it was reported by Murshid Shahin (an Arab pro-Zionist activist) that there was intense resistance in Hebron to the elections. Almost no house in Hebron remained undamaged when an earthquake struck Palestine on July 11, 1927. The Cave of the Patriarchs continued to remain officially closed to non-Muslims, and reports that entry to

5400-482: The 1976 mayoral election, which marked a shift in support towards pro-PLO nationalist leaders. Supporters of Jewish settlement within Hebron see their program as the reclamation of an important heritage dating back to Biblical times, which was dispersed or, it is argued, stolen by Arabs after the massacre of 1929. The purpose of settlement is to return to the 'land of our forefathers', and the Hebron model of reclaiming sacred sites in Palestinian territories has pioneered

5535-579: The 6th century BCE. It was located along the strip of desert called Ṣayhad by medieval Arab geographers , which is now known as Ramlat al-Sab'atayn. The Minaean people were one of four ancient Yemeni groups mentioned by Eratosthenes . The others were the Sabaeans , Ḥaḑramites and Qatabānians . Each of these had regional kingdoms in ancient Yemen, with the Minaeans in the north-west (in Wādī al-Jawf ),

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5670-485: The Baptist ). In 1170, Benjamin of Tudela visited Hebron, referred to as in its Frankish name St. Abram de Bron . He mentioned the great church called St. Abram, which was once a Jewish place of worship during the time of Muslim rule. The Gentiles had erected six tombs there, claimed to be those of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, and Leah. The custodians collected money from pilgrims by presenting these tombs as

5805-678: The Byzantines in Transjordan . In the early 7th century, the Christian governor of Ma'an, Farwa ibn Amr al-Judhami, converted to Islam and sent Muhammad a wide array of presents including a white mule and gold. When the Byzantine authorities learned of his conversion he was ordered to repent his new religion, but refused. Consequently, the Byzantine emperor ordered his imprisonment and subsequent execution by crucifixion. In retaliation

5940-495: The Cave of the Patriarchs for recreation and barbecues is off-limits for Arab Hebronites. Following the 1995 Oslo Agreement and subsequent 1997 Hebron Agreement , Palestinian cities were placed under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority , with the exception of Hebron, which was split into two sectors: H1 is controlled by the Palestinian Authority and H2 – which includes the Old City of Hebron – remained under

6075-567: The Committee of the Jewish Community of Hebron. The largest city in the southern West Bank, Hebron is chief commercial and industrial center in the region. It is a busy hub of trade, generating roughly a third of the area's GDP , largely due to the sale of limestone from quarries in its area. Hebron has a local reputation for its grapes, figs, ceramics, plastics, pottery workshops, metalworking and glassblowing industry. The city

6210-733: The Edomite God Qōs . Jews also appear to have lived there after the return from the Babylonian exile ( Nehemiah 11:25 ). During the Maccabean revolt , Hebron was burnt and plundered by Judah Maccabee who fought against the Edomites in 167 BCE. The city appears to have long resisted Hasmonean dominance , however, and indeed as late as the First Jewish–Roman War was still considered Idumean . The present day city of Hebron

6345-425: The Egyptian Sultan As-Salih Ayyub , managed to impose peace on the area. But soon after his departure, feuding broke out and in 1241 the Templars mounted a damaging raid on what was, by now, Muslim Hebron, in violation of agreements. In 1244, the Khwarazmians destroyed the town, but left the sanctuary untouched. In 1260, after Mamluk Sultan Baibars defeated the Mongol army, the minarets were built onto

6480-457: The Egyptian forces from Bethlehem to Hebron had been cut off from their lines of supply and Glubb Pasha sent 350 Arab Legionnaires and an armoured car unit to Hebron to reinforce them there. When the Armistice was signed, the city thus fell under Jordanian military control . The armistice agreement between Israel with Jordan intended to allow Israeli Jewish pilgrims to visit Hebron, but, as Jews of all nationalities were forbidden by Jordan into

6615-462: The IDF. The Jewish settlement is widely considered to be illegal by the international community, although the Israeli government disputes this. Over the period of the First Intifada and Second Intifada , the Jewish community was subjected to attacks by Palestinian militants, especially during the periods of the intifadas; which saw 3 fatal stabbings and 9 fatal shootings in between the first and second Intifada (0.9% of all fatalities in Israel and

6750-581: The Israeli courts. At the beginning of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War , Egypt took control of Hebron. Between May and October, Egypt and Jordan tussled for dominance in Hebron and its environs. Both countries appointed military governors in the town, hoping to gain recognition from Hebron officials. The Egyptians managed to persuade the pro-Jordanian mayor to support their rule, at least superficially, but local opinion turned against them when they imposed taxes. Villagers surrounding Hebron resisted and skirmishes broke out in which some were killed. By late 1948, part of

6885-435: The Israeli settlers. IDF soldiers are instructed to leave violent Israeli settlers for the police to deal with. Since The Oslo Agreement , violent episodes have been recurrent in the city. The Cave of the Patriarchs massacre took place on February 25, 1994, when Baruch Goldstein , an Israeli physician and resident of Kiryat Arba , opened fire on Muslims at prayer in the Ibrahimi Mosque , killing 29, and wounding 125 before

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7020-476: The Jewish community out of Hebron as a precautionary measure to secure its safety. The sole exception was the 8th generation Hebronite Ya'akov ben Shalom Ezra, who processed dairy products in the city, blended in well with its social landscape and resided there under the protection of friends. In November 1947, in anticipation of the UN partition vote , the Ezra family closed its shop and left the city. Yossi Ezra has since tried to regain his family's property through

7155-402: The Jewish settlers were expelled on December 3, 2008. Immediately after the 1967 war, mayor al-Ja'bari had unsuccessfully promoted the creation of an autonomous Palestinian entity in the West Bank, and by 1972, he was advocating for a confederal arrangement with Jordan instead. al-Ja'bari nevertheless consistently fostered a conciliatory policy towards Israel. He was ousted by Fahad Qawasimi in

7290-470: The Jews, just like the Jews'." By 1850, the Jewish population consisted of 45–60 Sephardic families, some 40 born in the town, and a 30-year-old Ashkenazic community of 50 families, mainly Polish and Russian, the Lubavitch Hasidic movement having established a community in 1823. The ascendency of Ibrahim Pasha led to a decline in the local glass industry. His plan to build a Mediterranean fleet led to severe logging in Hebron's forests, making firewood for

7425-419: The Kenizzites appear to be close to Hurrian . This suggests that behind the Anakim legend lies some early Hurrian population. In Biblical lore they are represented as descendants of the Nephilim . The Book of Genesis mentions that it was formerly called Kirjath-arba , or "city of four", possibly referring to the four pairs or couples who were buried there, or four tribes, or four quarters, four hills, or

7560-454: The MDA's industrial park began in 2008 and is set to be completed in 2030. The Shams Ma'an Solar Power Plant is located in the MDA. Former diplomat worker. 30°11.6′N 35°44′E  /  30.1933°N 35.733°E  / 30.1933; 35.733 Minaeans The Minaean people were the inhabitants of the kingdom of Ma'in ( Minaean : 𐩣𐩲𐩬 Maʿīn ; modern Arabic معين Maʿīn ) in modern-day Yemen , dating back to

7695-454: The Majali notables of the city and the authorities in Damascus and Istanbul. Between 1897 and 1899, two primary schools for boys and a secondary school were founded by the Ottomans in Ma'an. In 1902 the Ma'an train station connected the city to Damascus and Medina. Following the Battle of Aqaba during the Arab Revolt , the Turkish army fortified Maan with 6000 infantry, a regiment of cavalry and mounted infantry, and an aerodrome , all under

7830-402: The Merciful" or "Friend of God". Arabic Al-Khalil thus precisely translates the ancient Hebrew toponym Ḥebron , understood as ḥaḇer (friend). Archaeological excavations reveal traces of strong fortifications dated to the Early Bronze Age , covering some 24–30 dunams centered around Tel Rumeida . The city flourished in the 17th–18th centuries BCE before being destroyed by fire, and

7965-403: The Ottoman governor of Syria , Rashid Pasha , succeeded in designating Ma'an as its own kaza (subdistrict) of the al-Balqa sanjak (district), part of Damascus Vilayet . Four years later, Governor Abdulletif Subhi Pasha proposed that Ma'an become a sanjak that would include al-Karak, as-Salt and al-Jawf . This proposal was popular with much of the Ottoman government in Istanbul , but

8100-456: The Patriarchs are; the Arabs remain above, and let down burning torches into it through a window, for they keep a light always burning there. . Bread and lentil, or some other kind of pulse (seeds of peas or beans), is distributed (by the Muslims) to the poor every day without distinction of faith, and this is done in honour of Abraham. The expansion of the Ottoman Empire along the southern Mediterranean coast under sultan Selim I coincided with

8235-563: The Quarter of the Corner Gate. In the late 19th century the production of Hebron glass declined due to competition from imported European glassware, although it continued to be popular among those who could not afford luxury goods and was sold by Jewish merchants. Glass ornaments from Hebron were exhibited at the World Fair of 1873 in Vienna . A report from the consul of the French Consulate in Jerusalem in 1886 suggests that glass-making remained an important source of income for Hebron, with four factories earning 60,000 francs yearly. While

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8370-437: The Quarter of the Silk Merchant ( Harat al-Kazaz ), inhabited by Jews; the Mamluk-era Sheikh's Quarter ( Harat ash Sheikh ) to the north-west; and further north, the Dense Quarter ( Harat al-Harbah ). In 1855, the newly appointed Ottoman pasha ("governor") of the sanjak ("district") of Jerusalem, Kamil Pasha , attempted to put down a rebellion in the Hebron region. Kamil and his army marched towards Hebron in July 1855,

8505-448: The Sabaeans to the south-east of them, the Qatabānians to the south-east of the Sabaeans, and the Ḥaḑramites further east still. Nothing is known about the early history of this north Yemeni kingdom. The region later to be known as Ma’īn first enters history at the time of the Sabaean mukarrib Karib’il Watar I , and at that time consisted of a number of small city-states, which were under very strong Sabaean influence. The inscriptions from

8640-483: The Transjordanian districts of Ottoman Syria —at least until direct rule was attempted in the late 19th century. The Ottomans annexed Transjordan in 1517 and in 1559, during the tenure of Suleiman the Magnificent , the Ottomans built a fort in Ma'an to safeguard the pilgrimage route (see Qal'at al-Ma'an at "External links" ). The governor of Damascus put down a revolt by Ma'an and other cities in south Damascus Eyalet in 1656, although Ottoman troops were later routed as

8775-402: The Turkish pashas. In 1773 or 1775, a substantial amount of money was extorted from the Jewish community, who paid up to avert a threatened catastrophe, after a false allegation was made accusing them of having murdered the son of a local sheikh and throwing his body into a cesspit. > Emissaries from the community were frequently sent overseas to solicit funds . During the Ottoman period,

8910-400: The Umayyads had been overthrown by the Abbasid Caliphate . Istakhri further noted that Ma'an served as a fortress in the Sharat district (today southern Jordan) and "travelers were well received." A market was organized in the city where pilgrims could store their unessential possessions. When Syrian geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi visited in the early 13th century, during Ayyubid rule, Ma'an

9045-504: The United States. The majority of the Jewish population lived on the outskirts of Hebron along the roads to Be'ersheba and Jerusalem, renting homes owned by Arabs, a number of which were built for the express purpose of housing Jewish tenants, with a few dozen within the city around the synagogues. During the 1929 Hebron massacre , Arab rioters slaughtered some 64 to 67 Jewish men, women and children and wounded 60, and Jewish homes and synagogues were ransacked; 435 Jews survived by virtue of

9180-537: The West Bank) and 17 fatal shootings (9 soldiers and 8 settlers) and 2 fatalities from a bombing during the second Intifada, and thousands of rounds fired on it from the hills above the Abu-Sneina and Harat al-Sheikh neighbourhoods. On November 15, 2002, 12 Israeli soldiers were killed (Hebron Brigade commander Colonel Dror Weinberg and two other officers, 6 soldiers and 3 members of the security unit of Kiryat Arba) in an ambush . Two Temporary International Presence in Hebron observers were killed by Palestinian gunmen in

9315-413: The Zionists. Later, al-Khaṭīb became one of the few loyal followers of Haj Amin in Hebron. During the late Ottoman period, a new ruling elite had emerged in Palestine. They later formed the core of the growing Arab nationalist movement in the early 20th century. During the Mandate period, delegates from Hebron constituted only 1 per cent of the political leadership. The Palestinian Arab decision to boycott

9450-400: The alienation of the people." Sultan Abdulhamid II approved the plan in 1892. However, the establishment of the new sanjak was delayed and eventually scrapped after the leading sheikh of al-Karak offered the Ottoman authorities his full services. Al-Karak was deemed more suitable as district capital due to its larger population, proximity to Palestine and the established relationships between

9585-430: The cave and prayed, praise be to God, (in gratitude) for everything. A royal domain, Hebron was handed over to Philip of Milly in 1161 and joined with the Seigneurie of Transjordan . A bishop was appointed to Hebron in 1168 and the new cathedral church of St Abraham was built in the southern part of the Haram. In 1167, the episcopal see of Hebron was created along with that of Kerak and Sebastia (the tomb of John

9720-586: The caverns. The mill at Artas was built in 1307, and the profits from its income were dedicated to the hospital in Hebron. Between 1318 and 1320, the Na'ib of Gaza and much of coastal and interior Palestine ordered the construction of Jawli Mosque to enlarge the prayer space for worshipers at the Ibrahimi Mosque. Hebron was visited by some important rabbis over the next two centuries, among them Nachmanides (1270) and Ishtori HaParchi (1322) who noted

9855-489: The city and build a synagogue there. The name of the city was changed back to Al-Khalil . A Kurdish quarter still existed in the town during the early period of Ottoman rule. Richard the Lionheart retook the city soon after. Richard of Cornwall , brought from England to settle the dangerous feuding between Templars and Hospitallers , whose rivalry imperiled the treaty guaranteeing regional stability stipulated with

9990-572: The city, Jerusalem's conqueror, Caliph Omar ibn al-Khattab permitted Jewish people to return and to construct a small synagogue within the Herodian precinct. Catholic bishop Arculf , who visited the Holy Land during the Umayyad period , described the city as unfortified and poor. In his writings he also mentioned camel caravans transporting firewood from Hebron to Jerusalem, which implies there

10125-415: The city-state of Ḥaram , which date from this time, exhibit Minaean linguistic features, alongside the significant Sabaean impact. The Kingdom of Ma’īn emerged in the 6th century BCE, but then found itself under the rule of Saba’ . Only in about 400 BCE were the Minaeans able to ally themselves to Ḥaḑramawt and free themselves from direct Saba’ rule. In the 4th century both Ma’īn and Ḥaḑramawt were ruled by

10260-425: The city. Later, the biblical narrative has King David called by God to relocate to Hebron and reign from there for some seven years ( 2 Samuel 2:1–3 ). It is there that the elders of Israel come to him to make a covenant before Elohim and anoint him king of Israel . It was in Hebron again that Absalom has himself declared king and then raises a revolt against his father David ( 2 Samuel 15:7–10 ). It became one of

10395-536: The command of Behjet Pasha. This important Ottoman military base and communications hub was under 5-day siege by the Arab Northern Army during the Battle of Maan, 13–17 April 1918. Though failing to capture the city, the Hejaz railway southwards was wrecked. In 1920, The Hashemite emir Abdullah I arrived in Ma'an in with several hundred fighters mostly from the 'Utaybah tribe in an attempt to restore

10530-625: The conventional view, some researchers found traces of Edomite presence after the 5th–4th centuries BCE, as the area became Achaemenid province , and, in the wake of Alexander the Great 's conquest, Hebron was throughout the Hellenistic period under the influence of Idumea (as the new area inhabited by the Edomites was called during the Persian , Hellenistic and Roman periods), as is attested by inscriptions for that period bearing names with

10665-473: The country, this did not occur. In December 1948, the Jericho Conference , held by Jordan, was convened to decide the future of the West Bank. Hebron notables, headed by mayor Muhamad 'Ali al-Ja'bari , voted in favour of becoming part of Jordan and to recognise Abdullah I of Jordan as their king. The subsequent unilateral annexation benefited the Arabs of Hebron, who during the 1950s, played

10800-599: The covenant . The Hebron of the Israelites was centered on what is now known as Tel Rumeida, while its ritual centre was located at Elonei Mamre . Hebrew Bible narrative also describes the city. It is said to have been wrested from the Canaanites by either Joshua , who is said to have wiped out all of its previous inhabitants, "destroying everything that drew breath, as the Lord God of Israel had commanded", or

10935-569: The crossroads between the Dead Sea to the east, Jerusalem to the north, the Negev and Egypt to the south, and the Shepelah and the coastal plain to the west. Lying along trading routes , it remained administratively and politically dependent on Jerusalem for this period. After the destruction of the First Temple , most of the Jewish inhabitants of Hebron were exiled, and according to

11070-502: The dilapidated state of the patriarchs' tombs was restored to a semblance of sumptuous dignity. Ali Bey who, under Muslim disguise, was one of the few Westerners to gain access, reported in 1807 that, all the sepulchres of the patriarchs are covered with rich carpets of green silk, magnificently embroidered with gold; those of the wives are red, embroidered in like manner. The sultans of Constantinople furnish these carpets, which are renewed from time to time. Ali Bey counted nine, one over

11205-482: The discovery of relics purported to be those of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, a discovery that excited eager curiosity among all three communities in Palestine, Muslim, Jewish, and Christian. Towards the end of the period of Crusader rule, in 1166 Maimonides visited Hebron and wrote, On Sunday, 9 Marheshvan (17 October), I left Jerusalem for Hebron to kiss the tombs of my ancestors in the Cave. On that day, I stood in

11340-402: The economy of other cities in Palestine was based on solely on trade, the economy of Hebron was more diverse, including agriculture and livestock herding, alone with glassware manufacturing and processing of hides. This was because the most fertile lands were situated within the city limits. Even so, Hebron had an image of being unproductive and an "asylum for the poor and the spiritual". While

11475-587: The end of the 2nd century BCE Ma’īn found itself under the rule of Qatabān, but after the collapse of the Qatabānian Empire a few centuries later, the Minaean kingdom fell too. The area was under Sabaean rule at the latest by the time the Roman general Aelius Gallus waged a military campaign in the area in 25/24 BCE. The Minaeans, like some other Arabian and Yemenite kingdoms of the same period, were involved in

11610-576: The entire West Bank, including Hebron, occupied and annexed by Jordan , and since the 1967 Six-Day War , the city has been under Israeli military occupation . Following Israeli occupation, Jewish presence was restored in the city. Since the 1997 Hebron Protocol , most of Hebron has been governed by the Palestinian National Authority . The city is often described as a "microcosm" of the Israeli–Palestinian conflict and

11745-630: The establishment of Inquisition commissions by the Catholic Monarchs in Spain in 1478, which ended centuries of the Iberian convivencia (coexistence). The ensuing expulsions of the Jews drove many Sephardi Jews into the Ottoman provinces, and a slow influx of Jews to the Holy Land took place, with some notable Sephardi kabbalists settling in Hebron. Over the following two centuries, there

11880-599: The extremely lucrative spice trade , especially frankincense and myrrh . Inscriptions found in Qanāwu mention a number of major caravan stations along the trading route, including Yathrib (Medina) and Gaza ; there is also a brief account of how war between the Egyptians and Syrians interrupted the trade for a while. The Minaeans had a different social structure to the rest of the Old South Arabians. Their king

12015-491: The fief of Saint Abraham, to Geldemar Carpinel , the bishop Gerard of Avesnes, Hugh of Rebecques, Walter Mohamet and Baldwin of Saint Abraham. As a Frankish garrison of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , its defence was precarious being 'little more than an island in a Moslem ocean'. The Crusaders converted the mosque and the synagogue into a church. In 1106, an Egyptian campaign thrust into southern Palestine and almost succeeded

12150-673: The following year in wresting Hebron back from the Crusaders under Baldwin I of Jerusalem , who personally led the counter-charge to beat the Muslim forces off. In the year 1113 during the reign of Baldwin II of Jerusalem , according to Ali of Herat (writing in 1173), a certain part over the cave of Abraham had given way, and "a number of Franks had made their entrance therein". And they discovered "(the bodies) of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob", "their shrouds having fallen to pieces, lying propped up against

12285-522: The form of the Takiat Ibrahim soup kitchen, which has been active in providing food for thousands over Ramadan, which coincided with food shortages during the 2024 Israel–Hamas war . Geniza documents from this period mention "the graves of the patriarchs" and attest to the presence of an organised Jewish community in Hebron. The Jews maintained a synagogue near the tomb and earned their livelihood accommodating Jewish pilgrims and merchants. During

12420-673: The general pillage of the town at least five were killed . In 1838, the total population was estimated at 10,000. When the government of Ibrahim Pasha fell in 1841, the local clan leader Abd ar-Rahman Amr once again resumed the reins of power as the Sheik of Hebron. Due to his extortionate demands for cash from the local population, most of the Jewish population fled to Jerusalem. In 1846, the Ottoman Governor-in-chief of Jerusalem ( serasker ), Kıbrıslı Mehmed Emin Pasha , waged

12555-531: The glass industry in Hebron, based on 26 kilns . In 1833, a report on the town appearing in a weekly paper printed by the London-based Religious Tract Society wrote that Hebron's population had 400 Arab families, had numerous well-provisioned shops and that there was a manufactory of glass lamps, which were exported to Egypt . Early 19th-century travellers also noticed Hebron's flourishing agriculture. Apart from glassware, it

12690-557: The kilns scarce. At the same time, Egypt began importing cheap European glass. The rerouting of the hajj from Damascus through Transjordan reduced traffic to Hebron, and the Suez Canal (1869) precipitated a drop in caravan trade. The consequence was a steady deterioration of the local economy. At the time, the town was divided into four quarters: the Ancient Quarter ( Harat al-Kadim ) near the Cave of Machpelah; to its south,

12825-540: The land in and around Hebron belonging to the Tamīm al-Dārī waqf. In 1922, its population stood at 16,577, of which 16,074 (97%) were Muslim, 430 (2.5%) were Jewish and 73 (0.4%) were Christian. During the 1920s, Abd al-Ḥayy al-Khaṭīb was appointed Mufti of Hebron. Before his appointment, he had been a staunch opponent of Haj Amin , supported the Muslim National Associations and had good contacts with

12960-449: The local economy. As income from commerce declined and tax revenues diminished significantly, the Ottoman government left Hebron to manage its own affairs for the most part, making it "one of the most autonomous regions in late Ottoman Palestine." The Jewish community was under French protection until 1914. The Jewish presence itself was divided between the traditional Sephardi community, whose members spoke Arabic and adopted Arab dress, and

13095-459: The military control of Israel. Around 120,000 Palestinians live in H1, while around 30,000 Palestinians along with around 700 Israelis remain under Israeli military control in H2. As of 2009 , a total of 86 Jewish families lived in Hebron. The IDF ( Israel Defense Forces ) may not enter H1 unless under Palestinian escort. Palestinians cannot approach areas where settlers live without special permits from

13230-424: The more recent influx of Ashkenazi Jews . They prayed in different synagogues, sent their children to different schools, lived in different quarters and did not intermarry. The community was largely Orthodox and anti-Zionist. The British occupied Hebron on December 8, 1917; governance transited to a mandate in 1920. Most of Hebron was owned by old Islamic charitable endowments ( waqfs ), with about 60% of all

13365-520: The other, upon the sepulchre of Abraham. Hebron also became known throughout the Arab world for its glass production, abetted by Bedouin trade networks that brought up minerals from the Dead Sea, and the industry is mentioned in the books of 19th century Western travellers to Palestine. For example, Ulrich Jasper Seetzen noted during his travels in Palestine in 1808–09 that 150 persons were employed in

13500-534: The patriarchs Abraham, Isaac , and Jacob , along with their wives Sarah, Rebecca , and Leah , were buried in the cave. The city is also recognized in the Bible as the place where David was anointed king of Israel . Following the Babylonian captivity , the Edomites settled in Hebron. During the first century BCE, Herod the Great built the wall that still surrounds the Cave of the Patriarchs, which later became

13635-541: The population of Maan was 6,643 persons. The city had a population of 22,989 in the 1994 census. The gender makeup was 54.3% male 45.7% female. There were 4,871 housing units and 3,862 households. According to Ma'an Municipality, Ma'an's population was estimated as being about 50,000 as of 2007. The majority of the city's inhabitants are Sunni Muslims of the Hanafi school. Al-Hussein Bin Talal University

13770-401: The presence of pro-IS graffiti in the city. In December 2022, demonstrations against high fuel prices that broke out in Ma'an; one policeman was killed in the ensuing violence. Ma'an has a cold desert climate ( Köppen climate classification BWk ), with hot summers and mild to cold winters due to its high altitude (above 1000 meters). Rainfall is extremely rare with an average of 44 mm

13905-453: The principal centers of the Tribe of Judah and was classified as one of the six traditional Cities of Refuge . As is shown by the discovery at Lachish , the second most important city in the Kingdom of Judah after Jerusalem, of seals with the inscription lmlk Hebron (to the king Hebron), Hebron continued to constitute an important local economic centre, given its strategic position on

14040-408: The prior community are mixed. Some support the project of Jewish redevelopment, others commend living in peace with Hebronite Arabs, while a third group recommend a full pullout. Descendants supporting the latter views have met with Palestinian leaders in Hebron. In 1997 one group of descendants dissociated themselves from the settlers by calling them an obstacle to peace. On May 15, 2006, a member of

14175-530: The reason why Hebron is not mentioned in any traditions of the Arab conquest. When the Rashidun Caliphate established its rule over Hebron in 638, the Muslims converted the Byzantine church at the site of Abraham's tomb into a mosque. It became an important station on the caravan trading route from Egypt, and also as a way-station for pilgrims making the yearly hajj from Damascus. After the fall of

14310-588: The rest of the West Bank , establishing a military government to rule the area. In an attempt to reach a land for peace deal, Yigal Allon proposed that Israel annex 45% of the West Bank and return the remainder to Jordan. According to the Allon Plan , the city of Hebron would lie in Jordanian territory, and in order to determine Israel's own border, Allon suggested building a Jewish settlement adjacent to Hebron. David Ben-Gurion also considered that Hebron

14445-493: The rule, that one of the easiest place for Jews to live in the world were in the various countries of the Ottoman Empire. In the mid-eighteenth century, rabbi Abraham Gershon of Kitov wrote from Hebron that:"the gentiles here very much love the Jews. When there is a brit milah (circumcision ceremony) or any other celebration, their most important men come at night and rejoice with the Jews and clap hands and dance with

14580-497: The sacred city of Medina ." The townspeople's relationship with Bedouin was also unique. While most Transjordanian towns had uneasy relationships with the nomadic tribes to whom they paid regular tribute ( khuwwa ), Ma'an's residents and the Bedouin enjoyed positive relations. Finnish explorer Georg August Wallin wrote the level of economic interdependence between the two groups was unlike anywhere else in Syria's desert regions. As

14715-418: The same family, a close relationship that broke up again probably in the second half of the same century ( c. 350–300 BCE). The next capital of the kingdom was Yathill (modern Baraqish ) and later Qarnāwu (near modern Ma’īn). The kingdom enjoyed its golden age in the 3rd century BCE when it was able to extend its influence all along the incense trail due to the conquest of Najrān , ‘Asīr and Ḥijāz . From

14850-429: The sanctuary. Six years later, while on pilgrimage to Hebron, Baibars promulgated an edict forbidding Christians and Jews from entering the sanctuary, and the climate became less tolerant of Jews and Christians than it had been under the prior Ayyubid rule. The edict for the exclusion of Christians and Jews was not strictly enforced until the middle of the 14th-century and by 1490, not even Muslims were permitted to enter

14985-542: The shelter and assistance offered them by their Arab neighbours, who hid them. Some Hebron Arabs, including Ahmad Rashid al-Hirbawi, president of Hebron chamber of commerce, supported the return of Jews after the massacre. Two years later, 35 families moved back into the ruins of the Jewish quarter, but on the eve of the Palestinian Arab revolt (April 23, 1936) the British Government decided to move

15120-634: The site had been relaxed in 1928 were denied by the Supreme Muslim Council . At this time following attempts by the Lithuanian government to draft yeshiva students into the army, the Lithuanian Hebron Yeshiva (Knesses Yisroel) relocated to Hebron, after consultations between Rabbi Nosson Tzvi Finkel , Yechezkel Sarna and Moshe Mordechai Epstein . and by 1929 had attracted some 265 students from Europe and

15255-555: The survivors overcame and killed him. Standing orders for Israeli soldiers on duty in Hebron disallowed them from firing on fellow Jews, even if they were shooting Arabs. This event was condemned by the Israeli Government, and the extreme right-wing Kach party was banned as a result. The Israeli government also tightened restrictions on the movement of Palestinians in H2, closed their vegetable and meat markets, and banned Palestinian cars on Al-Shuhada Street. The park near

15390-556: The time of Waqah'il Sadiq I. (sources differ on when this golden age was, by as much as two centuries; Hermann von Wissmann has it a during 360 BCE, while Kenneth A. Kitchen dates it to c. 190–175 BCE) Minaean rule reached as far as Dedan . The extent of their long-distance trade is also shown by the presence of Minaean merchants in the Aegean . With the expansion of Ma’īn as far as the Red Sea they were also able to carry out sea trade. At

15525-436: The tombs of the Patriarchs. However, if a Jew offered a special reward, they would open an iron gate leading to a series of empty caves, until reaching the third cave where the actual sepulchers of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs were said to be located. The Kurdish Muslim Saladin retook Hebron in 1187 – again with Jewish assistance according to one late tradition, in exchange for a letter of security allowing them to return to

15660-705: The town". After the suppression of the Bar Kokhba revolt in 135 CE, innumerable Jewish captives were sold into slavery at Hebron's Terebinth slave-market. The city was part of the Byzantine Empire in Palaestina Prima province at the Diocese of the East . The Byzantine emperor Justinian I erected a Christian church over the Cave of Machpelah in the 6th century CE, which was later destroyed by

15795-399: The uprising. The town was invested and, when its defences fell on August 4, it was sacked by Ibrahim Pasha's army. An estimated 500 Muslims from Hebron were killed in the attack and some 750 were conscripted. 120 youths were abducted and put at the disposal of Egyptian army officers. Most of the Muslim population managed to flee beforehand to the hills. Many Jews fled to Jerusalem, but during

15930-501: The village of Abraham al-Khalil, with a strong fortress and a stone dome over Abraham's sepulchre. The mosque contained the tombs of Isaac, Jacob, and their wives. Surrounding the area were villages with vineyards producing exceptional grapes and apples. Hebron had a public guest house offering lentils and olive oil to both the poor and the rich. The guest house was established through the bequest of Prophet Muhammad's companions, including Tamim-al Dari, and received generous donations. It

16065-451: The wealthy merchants of Nablus built fine mansions, housing in Hebron consisted of semi-peasant dwellings. Hebron was described as 'deeply Bedouin and Islamic', and 'bleakly conservative' in its religious outlook, with a strong tradition of hostility to Jews. It had a reputation for religious zeal in jealously protecting its sites from Jews and Christians, although the Jewish and Christian communities seem to have been an integral part of

16200-468: Was a buyer's market for goods coming from across the Muslim world . Ma'an's culture was highly influenced by its role on the Hajj route and unlike many other desert towns, most of its residents were literate and many served as imams or religious advisers for the Bedouin tribes in the area. Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt noted that the people of Ma'an "considered their town an advanced post to

16335-529: Was a major exporter of dibse , grape sugar, from the famous Dabookeh grapestock characteristic of Hebron. An Arab peasants' revolt broke out in April 1834 when Ibrahim Pasha of Egypt announced he would recruit troops from the local Muslim population. Hebron, headed by its nazir Abd ar-Rahman Amr, declined to supply its quota of conscripts for the army and suffered badly from the Egyptian campaign to crush

16470-550: Was a mostly ruined town in the Balqa district of Bilad al-Sham (Islamic province of Syria.) The Hajj pilgrimage route to Mecca still passed through the town which also contained a resting station. By the end of the 13th-century Syria's new rulers, the Bahri Mamluks , designated Ma'an and its surroundings as one of four districts of the al-Karak province. According to al-Dimashqi , during that time period, it grew to become

16605-550: Was a presence of Arab nomads in the region at that time. Trade greatly expanded, in particular with Bedouins in the Negev ( al-Naqab ) and the population to the east of the Dead Sea ( Baḥr Lūṭ ). According to Anton Kisa, Jews from Hebron (and Tyre ) founded the Venetian glass industry in the 9th century. Hebron was almost absent from Muslim literature before the 10th century. In 985, al-Muqaddasi described Hebron (Habra) as

16740-553: Was a significant migration of Bedouin tribal groups from the Arabian Peninsula into Palestine. Many settled in three separate villages in the Wādī al-Khalīl, and their descendants later formed the majority of Hebron. The Jewish community fluctuated between 8–10 families throughout the 16th century, and suffered from severe financial straits in the first half of the century. In 1540, renowned kabbalist Malkiel Ashkenazi bought

16875-584: Was appointed Jewish representative to the city council. During a severe drought in 1869–1871, food in Hebron sold for ten times the normal amount. From 1874, the Hebron district was administered directly from Istanbul as part of the Sanjak of Jerusalem. By 1874, when C.R. Conder visited Hebron under the auspices of the Palestine Exploration Fund , the Jewish community numbered 600 in an overall population of 17,000. The Jews lived in

17010-402: Was entirely dependent on it. Its principal trade partner was the coastal city of Gaza in southern Palestine , from where supplies were brought to Ma'an for resale to pilgrims. Provisions were also imported from Hebron . In addition to provisions, Ma'an's outward caravan was dominated by the sale of livestock, particularly camels for transport and sheep for ritual sacrifice. The incoming caravan

17145-472: Was highly regarded as an excellent house of hospitality and charity in the realm of al-Islam. The custom, known as the 'Table of Abraham' ( simāt al-khalil ), was similar to the one established by the Fatimids . In 1047, Nasir-i-Khusraw described Hebron in his Safarnama as having many villages providing revenues for pious purposes. He mentioned a spring flowing from under a stone, with water channeled to

17280-403: Was placed under curfew and had its phone lines cut. Hussein arrived in the city afterward to meet with army units and local tribal leaders in order to placate the city. He stated the "riots" were an insult to the country, that foreign "infiltrators" provoked the protests and stressed Ma'an's importance in Jordanian history, referring to the city as "Ma'an the origin" and "Ma'an the history." Ma'an

17415-562: Was resettled in the late Middle Bronze Age. This older Hebron was originally a Canaanite royal city. Abrahamic legend associates the city with the Hittites . It has been conjectured that Hebron might have been the capital of Shuwardata of Gath , an Indo-European contemporary of Jerusalem's regent, Abdi-Ḫeba , although the Hebron hills were almost devoid of settlements in the Late Bronze Age. The Abrahamic traditions associated with Hebron are nomadic. This may also reflect

17550-760: Was semi-autonomous from British administration in Palestine. Ma'an was annexed to the Transjordanian state in 1925. The British Army had an armored car regiment based in the city. A railway building at Ma'an station was used by Abdullah I as the site of the first government of the Kingdom of Jordan. It is now called the Ma'an Palace and is depicted on the reverse of the 5 Jordanian dinar note. The 1989 Jordanian protests started in Ma'an, in protest against government cuts to food subsidies. The protests left eight dead and dozens injured, and spurred King Hussein to dismiss his prime minister, Zaid Al-Rifai . In 1998

17685-554: Was settled in the valley downhill from Tel Rumeida at the latest by Roman times. Herod the Great , king of Judea, built the wall that still surrounds the Cave of the Patriarchs . During the First Jewish–Roman War , Hebron was captured and plundered by Simon Bar Giora , a leader of the Zealots , without bloodshed. The "little town" was later laid to waste by Vespasian 's officer Sextus Vettulenus Cerialis . Josephus wrote that he "slew all he found there, young and old, and burnt down

17820-432: Was the one sector of the conquered territories that should remain under Jewish control and be open to Jewish settlement. Apart from its symbolic message to the international community that Israel's rights in Hebron were, according to Jews, inalienable, settling Hebron also had theological significance in some quarters. For some, the capture of Hebron by Israel had unleashed a messianic fervor. Survivors and descendants of

17955-404: Was the only one involved in lawmaking, along with a council of elders, who in Ma'īn represented the priesthood as well as families of high social class. The Minaeans were divided into groups of various sizes, led by a very high official called the kabīr , appointed once every two years, who was in charge of one or sometimes all of the trading posts. The reason for this difference in social structure

18090-401: Was the site of clashes between the Jordanian army and Islamist groups in 2002 after the death of a US diplomat. The city has been described as a "hotbed of IS support" by The Economist . A 2014 Al Jazeera article about IS sympathies in Ma'an stated that the governorate is "a reputed hotbed of unrest, known for high crime rates, low employment and anti-government sentiment," and noted

18225-416: Was ultimately rejected after strong opposition from Midhat Pasha , a leading Tanzimat reformer, who argued the administrative expenses of having Ma'an as district capital would not be feasible. Following the British occupation of Egypt, Ottoman politicians began serious initiatives to form a new vilayet out of Damascus Vilayet that would combine the districts of Ma'an, al-Balqa and Jerusalem to serve as

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