On the outskirts of the city are glass-blowing, pottery and woodworking shops and, near the center of town, a large visitor center. The Arab market is similar to those elsewhere, but given the volatility of the city, visitors are usually discouraged from going there. The city also has a small museum of artifacts used in the area through the centuries. No visitors are allowed inside during Muslim prayer times, Fridays or Muslim holidays. Those services which remained the responsibility of the Civil Administration were transferred to the Palestinian Authority and the Municipality following the IDF redeployment in Hebron in 1997.
International observers patrol the city to help monitor the situation.
At the time of Abraham, the Canaanite town in this place was known as Kiryat Arba. Today, Kiryat Arba is the name of a suburb of Hebron, five minutes from the Cave of Machpelah and the heart of the city. Established in 1971, Kiryat Arba was the first renewed Jewish community in Judea and Samaria. Today, Kiryat Arba is home to more than 6,000 Jews who have a reputation for being among the most zealous defenders of the idea that Jews have a right to live in the West Bank.