Ten graves worth a journey
קִבְרֵי אָבוֹת
Top 10 Tombs in Israel to Visit
From the cave Abraham bought with silver in Hebron to a philosopher's grave on the Sea of Galilee, with maps and honest access notes.
Jewish memory is unusually specific about burial. Genesis records a purchase price, a field, and a cave; Samuel gives a roadside landmark. That habit of marking the ground is why a traveller can still stand at graves visited without a break for a thousand years. The list opens in Hebron, where the Jewish title to this land is first written down as a deed.
מַעֲרַת הַמַּכְפֵּלָה1. Cave of the Patriarchs, Hebron
Six patriarchs and matriarchs, under a Herodian enclosure.
31.5247 N, 35.1107 E
The oldest Jewish holy site in the world, and the second holiest after the Temple Mount. The drafted-margin walls above the cave are Herodian. Start with our Machpelah overview, then read about Abraham's tomb and what lies inside the caves.
Access. Open daily from early morning to evening, divided between Jewish and Muslim halves, with ten days a year when each community has the whole building.
קֶבֶר רָחֵל2. Rachel's Tomb, Bethlehem
The matriarch buried on the road, not in the family cave.
31.7188 N, 35.2021 E
Third in Jewish tradition behind the Temple Mount and Machpelah, reached through a walled corridor off Hebron Road. Eleven stones sit on the draped rock, one for each son Jacob had fathered before Rachel died. See our guide to Kever Rachel, and the Education Ministry marks the date of Rachel's passing each Cheshvan.
Access. Round the clock Sunday to Thursday, closed on Shabbat, served by the armoured 163 bus.
קֶבֶר שְׁמוּאֵל3. Tomb of Samuel, Nabi Samwil
A national park on a 908 metre summit.
31.8330 N, 35.1805 E
The grave of the prophet who anointed Israel's first two kings sits in a crypt below a Crusader-era church later converted to a mosque. Above ground are excavations, a synagogue, and one of the widest panoramas in the country.
Access. The easiest site here: long daily hours, a small fee, and level paths from the car park.
קֶבֶר יוֹסֵף4. Joseph's Tomb, Shechem
Bought ground, recorded in Genesis 33.
32.2132 N, 35.2850 E
Joseph's bones were carried out of Egypt and buried in the plot Jacob purchased at Shechem, one of the very few holdings whose Jewish ownership the Bible sets out as a recorded sale. The site sits in Area A between Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal.
Access. Restricted. Jewish prayer happens through army-escorted convoys, usually overnight and arranged well in advance.
קֶבֶר חֻלְדָּה5. Tomb of Huldah, Mount of Olives
A rock-cut chamber claimed by three faiths.
31.7788 N, 35.2450 E
Huldah authenticated the scroll found in the Temple and set off Josiah's reform. The Tosefta places her grave inside the walls of Jerusalem; a medieval tradition put it here on the eastern ridge. Our guide to Huldah the prophetess sets out both traditions.
Access. The crypt lies beneath a small mosque and is normally locked. Expect to view the exterior unless a guide has arranged entry.
נְבִי יוּנֻס6. Tomb of Jonah, Halhul
On the highest built ridge in the Judean hills.
31.5782 N, 35.1073 E
Three places in the world claim the prophet Jonah. The Halhul shrine crowns the town at roughly 1,020 metres, and its minaret has been a landmark on the Jerusalem road for centuries. Read the full case in our guide to the Tomb of Jonah.
Access. Area A, and an active mosque. Jewish visits happen only through convoys a few times a year.
נָתָן וְגָד7. Tombs of Nathan and Gad, Halhul
Two of David's prophets, on Jonah's hilltop.
31.5780 N, 35.1071 E
Nathan confronted David over Bathsheba and Gad chose the site of the future Temple. Jewish tradition places both men on this hill, so one ridge carries traditions about three separate prophets. Details are in our guide to the tombs of Nathan and Gad.
Access. Same restrictions as Jonah. Most travellers view the ridge from Route 60 and spend the day in Hebron.
יִשַׁי וְרוּת8. Tomb of Jesse and Ruth, Hebron
On Tel Rumeida, where David was crowned.
31.5236 N, 35.1037 E
David's father and great-grandmother are remembered in a small synagogue inside the ruin of Deir Al Arba'een, a short uphill walk from Machpelah on the tell where David reigned seven years before moving his capital to Jerusalem.
Access. In the Israeli-administered part of Hebron, reachable on foot, best with a guide.
רַשְׁבִּ"י9. Tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, Meron
The most visited Jewish grave outside Jerusalem.
32.9808 N, 35.4406 E
The second-century sage to whom the Zohar is attributed lies beneath a synagogue complex on Mount Meron. On Lag BaOmer the site draws crowds in the hundreds of thousands.
Access. Open around the clock and free. Modest dress required. Avoid Lag BaOmer unless the crowd is the point.
רַמְבַּ"ם10. Tomb of Maimonides, Tiberias
The philosopher who died in Egypt and was brought here.
32.7901 N, 35.5372 E
Moses ben Maimon is buried on Yohanan Ben Zakai Street in Tiberias, under a red steel canopy, alongside Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakai and other sages. The setting is urban and plain, which suits a man whose reputation rests on clarity.
Access. Open at all hours, free, with separate prayer areas for men and women.
דֶּרֶךְGetting There from Jerusalem Central Bus Station
Five of the ten sit on or near Route 60, the ridge road south.
By bus
Lines 381 and 383 leave the third-floor platforms and run south on Route 60 to Kiryat Arba, the stop for Hebron and Machpelah, in about an hour. Line 163 for Rachel's Tomb does not leave from inside the terminal: board it on Jaffa Road opposite the station. For the Tomb of Samuel, take a bus toward Givat Ze'ev and finish by taxi. Meron and Tiberias are separate Galilee trips.
By car
Leave the station on Sderot Weizmann and join Route 50, then Route 60 southbound: Rachel's Tomb is about ten minutes out, Gush Etzion twenty-five, Hebron roughly forty. For Nabi Samwil, head north-west via Ramot toward Givat Ze'ev and follow the park signs. Check that your rental agreement and insurance cover Judea and Samaria, because many policies do not.
Safety and your own responsibility
Several sites here sit in or beside Area A, where entry by Israeli citizens is prohibited by law and dangerous in practice. Red road signs mark those entrances, and a navigation app will not reliably keep you out of them, so follow the signs. Check the security situation before you set out, confirm access and opening times on the day, and follow the instructions of security personnel. Travel here is undertaken entirely at your own risk and on your own responsibility. This article is general information, not travel, legal, or security advice.
שְׁאֵלוֹתTomb Questions Travellers Ask Before They Go
- Which tomb in Israel should I visit first?
The Cave of the Patriarchs. Its Genesis 23 purchase is the foundation document for everything else here. Israel's own heritage sites portal treats it the same way.
- Can I visit all ten tombs on one trip?
Not sensibly. Eight sit within an hour of Jerusalem and group into two days, but Meron and Tiberias are a separate Galilee trip, and Joseph's Tomb and the Halhul shrines depend on convoys rather than your calendar.
- Do these tombs charge admission?
Most are free, including Machpelah, Rachel's Tomb, Meron, and Maimonides. The Tomb of Samuel charges a modest national park fee.
- What should I wear at a Jewish tomb?
Shoulders and knees covered, a head covering for married women, a kippah for men. Prayer areas are separated by gender.
- Are the burial claims historically proven?
They vary. Machpelah rests on a recorded purchase and unbroken veneration, Rachel's Tomb on a marker attested in Genesis. Others are later identifications.
זֵכֶר
A people that records the price of a burial field in its founding book is telling you where it means to stay.