The Cave of Machpelah in Hebron is the presumed burial place of Abraham. The Ibrahimi Mosque overlays it. For Jews it's a highly revered site and to Muslims, its importance in the region is second only to that of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock.
The cave was purchased by Abraham when, according to tradition, he learned through divine inspiration that Adam and Eve were buried here. Later, he, his wife, his sons and their wives (except Ruth) were buried here. Sometime around 20BC, Herod the Great sealed off the cave and built an enclosure around it. A Byzantine church was later built here, but turned into a mosque in the 7th century. Palestinians currently control one half of the mosque while Israelis controls the other.
