Eloneh Mamreh (Hebron)

Palestine / Hebron / Hebron
 place with historical importance, interesting place
Eloneh Mamreh אלוני ממרה (Gen. 14:13). North of Chebron, and sideward from Chalchul, is a plain about 2½ English miles in length, which the Arabs call Elon, no doubt the ancient dwelling place of Abraham in question.
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Known already to the Canaanites of the Early Bronze Age, this place became the site of one of the three great trade "fairs" (or markets) in the country (the others being Gaza and Acre, according to the Talmud). A tradition stretching over many hundreds of years, the festivals held here drew peoples from across the region, each conducting religious rituals according to their own beliefs.

Herod the Great built a 60 X 83 meter enclosure of finely dressed masonry, with clear architectural parallels to both Hebron's Haram/Tomb of the Patriarchs and Jerusalem's Haram/Temple Mount; the lower parts of this wall are still visible. Bar Kokhba destroyed much of the surrounding wall, but Hadrian built it back, and also revived the fair.

Constantine in the early 4th century wished to eliminate the pagan elements of the festivities here, and also to memorialize the visit of the three angels to Abraham in Gen. 18. He thus ordered a basilica built, the apse and other traces of which occupy the eastern end of the enclosure. This Byzantine church (and monastery?) appear on the 6th century Medaba mosaic map, under the name "Terbinthos".

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Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mamre
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Coordinates:   31°33'23"N   35°6'18"E

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This article was last modified 13 years ago