al-Ashrafiyya

The village stood on a flat area about 2 km to the east of the al-Faqqu'a (or Jilbu') Mountains, and overlooked low-lying lands to the north and west sides. Mount Tabor was visible in the distance on the northwest. On the eastern side the village faced the highlands east of the Jordan. This elevated location may explain the village's name, al-Ashrafiyya, which was derived from the Arabic verb "to overlook." The location also afforded the village protection from the flooding of Wadi al-Maddu', which flowed west of it. The Baysan-Jericho highway ran about 2 km east of al-Ashrafiyya, and a secondary road linked the village to this highway. It was classified as a hamlet during the Mandate era by the Palestine Index Gazetteer.

The people of al-Ashrafiyya were Muslims, and built their mud houses in clusters, separated by narrow alleys. Most of its lands were cultivated, thanks to the abundance of water from rain and springs, the fertility of the soil, and the easily-tilled, level terrain. Agriculture consisted primarily of vegetables, fruit trees such as citrus and bananas, and olives. In 1944/45 a total of 143 dunums was devoted to citrus and bananas and 7 dunums were allocated to cereals; 4,458 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards. Most of the villagers worked in agriculture and animal husbandry.