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Geography of Israel: Kiryat Arba

Kiryat Arba (Hebrew, "Town of the Four") is a Jewish settlement in the West Bank that is a suburb of Hebron, five minutes from the Cave of Machpela and the heart of the city.

Established in 1968, Kiryat Arba was the first renewed Jewish community in Judea and Samaria. In 2012, Kiryat Arba had a population of 7,593. The town has educational institutions from prenursery school through post-High school, modern medical facilities, shopping centers, a bank and post office.

The name Kiryat Arba is mentioned in the Torah as the place where Abraham buried Sarah. The Book of Joshua also refers to the city, saying: "Now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-Arba; the great man among the Anakim...". According to the great Biblical commentator Rashi, Kiryat Arba means either the town of Arba, a biblical giant who had three sons, or the town of the four giants: Anak (the son of Arba) and his three sons – Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmi. Alternatively, the name may refer to the four couples buried in the Machpela Cave: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah, and according to the Zohar, Adam and Eve.

Kiryat Arba has four neighborhoods: the Kirya, Ashmoret Yitzhak, Ramat Mamre (also known as Givat Harsina) and Givat Avot (Givat Ha'avot), near the entrance of Hebron.


Sources: Hebron; Wikipedia