Bayt Jimal

Located to the southwest of Jerusalem, 350 meters above sea level, the village contains the remains of an Arab Latin monastery built by the

Salesian Fathers in 1881. The monastery included a church, an agricultural school, and burial grounds. It is said that the church was constructed on the ruins of an earlier Byzantine church dating back to the 5th century AD, with a mosaic-paved floor.

The lands of Beit Jimal covered an area of 4,878 dunums. In 1922, the village had a population of about 59 Muslims and Christians; by 1945, the number had risen to around 240. However, in 1967, it had declined to only  28 inhabitants.

Beit Jimal was surrounded by several villages: Deir Aban to the north, al-Burayj and Zakariya to the west, 

 and Beit Nattif to the south and east,in addition to several ruins of historical sites. To the south of the village lies the settlement of Beit Shemesh, established in 1950.