Bayt Jann
| |
|---|---|
| Hebrew transcription(s) | |
| • ISO 259 | Beit Ǧann |
| • Also spelled | Beit Jann or Bayt Jann (unofficial) |
 Beit Jann cityscape | |
  Bayt Jann  Bayt Jann | |
| Coordinates:32°57′55″N35°22′46″E / 32.96528°N 35.37944°E /32.96528; 35.37944 | |
| Grid position | 185/263PAL |
| Country |  Israel |
| District | Northern |
| Founded | 13th or 14th century (as Druze settlement) |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Nazih Dabbur [he][1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 4,650 dunams (4.65 km2 or 1.80 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• Total | 12,433 |
| • Density | 2,700/km2 (6,900/sq mi) |
| Name meaning | "The house of the genie", or "The garden house"[3] |
Bayt Jann (Arabic:بيت جن;Hebrew:בית ג'ן) is aDruze village onMount Meron in northernIsrael.[4] At 940 metersabove sea level, Bayt Jann is one of the highest inhabited locations in the country. In 2022 it had a population of 12,433.[2]
Guérin noted that the village was known asBeitegene orBette-Gen during theMiddle Ages. He suggested that the name in antiquity wasHebrew:בֵּית גַּנִּים,romanized: Beth-Gannim, "House of Gardens. The village was surrounded by orchards, and vineyards and ancientterraces were visible nearby.[5]
Bayt Jann is thought to have been one of several locations calledBeth Dagon, and may be identified with theBeth Dagon mentioned inToseftaShevi'ith 7:13-71,29.[6]
In theCrusader era it was known asBeitegen.[7] In 1249,John Aleman transferred land, including thecasalia of Beitegen,Sajur,Majd al-Krum andNahf to theTeutonic Knights.[8]
According to local legend, Druze families in the area lived in scattered colonies in the hills near sources of water until the 13th or 14th century. Two hunters looking for hyraxes stumbled upon a cave where they found an ancient cistern filled with water. Concluding that this was a good place for permanent settlement, several families settled on the site of what would become Bayt Jann.[9]
In 1517, the village was incorporated into theOttoman Empire with the rest of the land of the Israelites, and in 1596,Bayt Jinn appeared in Ottomantax registers as being innahiya (subdistrict) ofAkka under theliwa' (district) ofSafad. It had a population of 102 households and 5 bachelors, all Muslims. They paid taxes onsilk spinning (dulab harir),[10] occasional revenues, goats and/or beehives, olive oil press and/or a press for grape syrup.[11][12]
In August 1754, the missionary Stephan Schulz[13] visited the village. He noted that the inhabitants produced water-skins, and described thegrapes of the region as particularly large and fine.[14][15]
The American biblical scholarEdward Robinson described Bayt Jann in 1852 as a "large well-built village", with houses made oflimestone and 260 male residents, all Druze.[15] In 1875, the French explorerVictor Guérin visited the village, which he calledBeit Djenn. He estimated it had two hundred inhabitants, all Druze. He further noted that "A few years ago it was much larger, as is indicated by the abandoned houses which are beginning to fall into ruins. I am told that their occupants have fled to theHauran to escape conscription. (...) The flanks of the hill on which the village stands are covered with vines which creep along the ground; their grapes [are] of a prodigious size..."[5] In 1881, thePalestine Exploration Fund'sSurvey of Western Palestine described Beit Jenn as a good village built of stone, with 300Muslims and 100 Druze, with extensive gardens and vineyards.[16]Old stones have been reused in village homes, andcisterns andtombs carved into rock have also been found.[17]
A population list from about 1887 showed Bayt Jann to have about 1,215 inhabitants; all Druze.[18]
In the1922 census of Palestine conducted by theBritish Mandate authorities,Bait Jan had a population of 902: 6Muslims, 1Christian and 895 Druze;[19] the only Christian was anAnglican.[20] At the time of the1931 census, Bayt Jann had 229 occupied houses and a population of 1100 Druze and 1 Muslim.[21]
In the1945 statistics the population of Bayt Jann together withEin al-Asad was 1,640, all classified as "others" (i.e., Druze),[22] who owned 43,550dunams of land according to an official land and population survey.[23] 2,530 dunams were plantations and irrigable land, 7,406 used for cereals,[24] while 67 dunams were built-up (urban) land.[25]
In September 1991, the body of Samir Assad, anIsrael Defense Forces soldier from Bayt Jann, held since 1983 by theDFLP, was returned in exchange for the return to Israel of exiled members of the DFLP.[26]
In July 2006, during theHezbollah–Israel war, Bayt Jann was hit byKatyusharockets fired byHezbollah.[27] In the aftermath of the2021 Meron crowd crush, the village offered help to the survivors and offered emergency services if ever needed. Mayor Radi Najm said that several families had sheltered survivors of the disaster.[28]Illegal logging in the vicinity of Bayt Jann has led to conflicts with park officials and rangers.[29]
As ofNovember 2023, Bayt Jann has the highest percentage ofIDF soldiers fallen in battle of any community in Israel, with a total of 64.[30]
Bayt Jann has a cool climate, even in summer, and offers panoramic views that stretch as far as theSea of Galilee and theMediterranean on a clear day. Several families in the village runbed and breakfast facilities.[31] The village is located inside theMount Meronnature reserve.
In 2013, Bayt Jann high school was ranked first in the country for the number of students graduating with abagrut matriculation certificate.[32]
The village had no playground until 2020, when one was built with the help ofJNF UK.[33]
{{cite book}}:|author= has generic name (help)| Cities | .svg) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Local councils |
| ||||
| Regional councils |
| ||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
