Established in 1971, Kiryat Arba was the first renewed Jewish community in Judea and Samaria. In 2012, Kiryat Arba had a population of 7,593. The town has educational institutions from prenursery school through post-High school, modern medical facilities, shopping centers, a bank and post office.
The name Kiryat Arba is mentioned in the Torah as the place where Abraham buried Sarah. The Book of Joshua also refers to the city, saying: "Now the name of Hebron before was Kirjath-Arba; the great man among the Anakim...". According to the great Biblical commentator Rashi, Kiryat Arba means either the town of Arba, a biblical giant who had three sons, or the town of the four giants: Anak (the son of Arba) and his three sons – Ahiman, Sheshai and Talmi. Alternatively, the name may refer to the four couples buried in the Machpela Cave: Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Jacob and Leah, and according to the Zohar, Adam and Eve.
Kiryat Arba has four neighborhoods: the Kirya, Ashmoret Yitzhak, Ramat Mamre (also known as Givat Harsina) and Givat Avot (Givat Ha'avot), near the entrance of Hebron.