Mughr al-Khayt

The village was situated on the northeastern slope of Mount Kan'an in Upper Galilee, overlooking the Ghawr (the low-lying land around the Jordan) between Lakes Tiberias and al-Hula. The last part of its name, 'al-Khayt,' referred to the relatively level plateau which surrounded it and which was known as ard al-khayt. This region was a volcanic sill that separated the basin around Lake Tiberias, to the north, from that of Lake al-Hula, to the south (see Mansurat al-Khayt, Safad sub-disctrict). A secondary road linked Mughr al-Khayt to a highway that led to Safad and Tiberias. In 1596, Mughr al-Khayt was a village in the nahiya of Jira (liwa' of Safad) with a population of ninety-four. It paid taxes on a number of crops, including wheat, barley, and fruits, as well as on other types of produce, such as goats and beehives.

In the late nineteenth century, Mughr al-Khayt was a village built of brick and stone. It had a population of about 300 and was known for the many caves in its vicinity. Mughr al-Khayt was actually a 'twin-village,' consisting of two quarters about 100 m apart, spaced parallel to each other in a north-south direction. Its entire population was Muslim. The villagers relied on rainfall to irrigate grain and fruit trees. Their agricultural lands were located on all but the western side of the site. With 540 dunums planted with olive trees in the 1942/43 season, Mughr al-Khayt ranked fifth in olive cultivation among the villages in Safad sub-disctrict. It had two olive presses. In 1944/45 a total of 3,742 dunums was allocated to cereals; 573 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. An archaeological site near the village (known as al-Maghar) contained the remains of houses, rock-hewn tombs, columns, cisterns, and an olive press.