Over the cave stands a large rectangular enclosure dating from the Herodian-era . Byzantine Christians took it over and built a Basilica which after the Muslim conquest was converted into the '' ' Ibrahimi Mosque ' '' . Crusaders took over the site in the 12th century , but it was taken back by Saladin 1188 and reconverted into a mosque . Israel took control of the site in 1967 , dividing the structure into a synagogue and a mosque . In 1994 , the Hebron massacre occurred in which a Jewish settler killed 29 Muslims praying in the mosque
Hebron massacre
Cave of the Patriarchs massacre
Cave of the Patriarchs