Ma'dhar

The village stood on elevated, flat terrain in eastern lower Galilee, 6 km to the northeast of Mount Tabor (Jabal al-Tur). Several streams from village springs fed Wadi al-Bira, one of the Jordan's tributaries. A dirt path linked it to the village of Kafr Kama in the northwest, itself on a highway leading to Samakh on the southern tip of Lake Tiberias. The village was known as Kapharmater during the Crusader period; a Crusader fortress, Casel de Cherio, was built there. In 1596, Ma'dhar was a village in the nahiya of Tiberias (liwa' of Safad) with a population of ninety-four. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, and cotton, as well as on other types of property, such as goats, beehives, and orchards. In the late nineteenth century, Ma'dhar was described as a village built of basalt and other types of stone, situated on an arable plain. Its population was about 250.

The village had no particular shape; its houses were dispersed in all directions around a densely-built core, which was in the south. They were built of stone, adobe, and cement; some roofs were made of wood or reeds and covered with a layer of mud. The residents of Ma'dhar were Muslims and maintained a village mosque. A school, built in the village during the Ottoman period, was closed down during the British Mandate. The people drew water for their domestic needs from two springs, east and west of the village, and from wells.

The villagers depended on agriculture and cattle breeding for their livelihood. Agriculture was based on grain and vegetables; but fruit trees were also planted on land to the north, west, and south. In 1944/45 a total of 5,479 dunums was allocated to cereals; 498 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, of which 30 dunums were planted with olive trees. Ma'dhar was built over the remnants of the Crusader and Ottoman villages. Remains from these periods included a ruined church and its burial ground. To the southwest lay Khirbat Sara (192231), which was also an archaeological site.