the cave of the patriarchs, also called the cave of machpelah (hebrew: מערת המכפלה, " ", trans. "cave of the double tombs") and known by muslims as the sanctuary of abraham or the ibrahimi mosque (, "") is an archaeological site in hebron, israel. according to the jewish tradition it is the site of the graves of abraham and sarah, isaac and rebecca, jacob and leah. these graves have been buried under a church built in the byzantine period in israel, and which is now used as a mosque.