Kafr Sabt

The village of Kafr Sabt was located on a gently sloping plain in the Lower Eastern Galilee. It overlooked a valley to the north and relatively level areas in other directions. A secondary road linked the village to the Palestinian village of Kafr Kama (which still exists today), and from there to the main Tiberias–Nazareth road.

During the Roman era, Kafr Sabt was known as Kfar Shabtai. The Arab geographer al-Muqaddasi (d. ca. 990 CE) mentioned it among the villages of Caesarea, noting that it was an inhabited village with a mosque on its main street. Later, the geographer Yaqut al-Hamawi (d. 1229 CE) also referred to it, describing it as a village near Tiberias. The Crusaders called it Cafarset.

In 1596, Kafr Sabt was listed as a village in the subdistrict of Tiberias (Liwa’ of Safad) with a population of 160. It paid taxes on various agricultural products such as wheat, barley, and cotton, as well as on livestock and beehives.

By the late 19th century, Kafr Sabt was a stone-built village surrounded by flat agricultural lands, with a population of approximately 300. It had a narrow rectangular layout, stretching from east to west. The houses were closely packed and constructed from various materials including stone, mud, and cement. The village also received seasonal visits from the nomadic Arab al-Masharifah tribe, who would pitch their tents nearby.

The residents of Kafr Sabt were Muslims who depended on agriculture and livestock for their livelihoods. Their main crops included grains and fruits, which they cultivated particularly in the southeastern part of the village lands. In 1944–1945, a total of 4,258 dunums were allocated for cereal cultivation, while 7 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards.

Several archaeological sites were located near the village, including Khirbat Umm al-‘Alaq (grid reference 194239), considered an extension of the village. The site contained ruins of homes, a fortress, a mosque, cisterns, column fragments, building foundations, and olive presses.

Occupation and Ethnic Cleansing of the Village

According to Israeli sources, the residents of Kafr Sabt fled on April 22, 1948, following the Haganah’s capture of Tiberias on April 18.

The Village Today

The most visible remains of the village are stone terraces and piles of rubble, indicating prior habitation. Among the ruins grow scattered trees and a few cactus plants. The surrounding lands are cultivated with cereals, fruit trees, and almonds.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

In 1949, the lands of the village became the subject of dispute between two nearby Israeli settlements: Ilaniya (grid reference 188240) and Sharona (194236). The former claimed compensation for Arab attacks during the early months of the war and was allocated 350 dunums of Kafr Sabt’s land, reportedly owned by Arabs who had “attacked them.”

However, the farmers of Sharona also laid claim to the village lands and took them by force. The Israeli Ministry of Agriculture intervened and ordered the Sharona farmers to vacate the land.

In 1949, the Israeli settlement Sde Ilan (grid reference 189239) was established west of the original village site, though not directly on village lands.