Ma'dhar

The village of Ma‘dhar was situated on an elevated, flat tract of land in the Lower Eastern Galilee, approximately 6 kilometers northeast of Mount Tabor (Jabal al-Tur). Several small streams flowed from springs within the village and discharged into Wadi al-Bira, which ultimately emptied into the Jordan River. A dirt road connected Ma‘dhar to the nearby village of Kafr Kamma, located to the northwest, which was intersected by the main road leading to Samakh at the southern tip of Lake Tiberias.

During the Crusader period, the village was known as Kafar Matir, and a Crusader fortress called Castle du Chevalier was built there. In 1596, Ma‘dhar was a village in the subdistrict (nahiya) of Tiberias, part of the district (liwa’) of Safad, with a recorded population of 94 inhabitants. Taxes were levied on a variety of crops including wheat, barley, and cotton, as well as on other forms of agricultural production such as goats, beehives, and fruit orchards.

By the late 19th century, Ma‘dhar was described as a stone-built village located in an agricultural plain, with an estimated population of around 250 residents. The village had no defined layout; its houses were scattered in all directions around a densely built-up center located in the southern part of the village. Structures were constructed from stone, mud bricks, and cement, with roofs made of wood or reeds, coated with clay.

The inhabitants were Muslims and had a mosque and a school that had been established during the Ottoman era, though it was closed during the British Mandate period. Water for domestic use was obtained from wells and two springs located east and west of the village.

Economic Life and Agriculture

The primary sources of livelihood for the residents of Ma‘dhar were animal husbandry and agriculture, especially the cultivation of grains and vegetables. Fruit trees were also grown on lands to the north, west, and south of the village. In 1944–1945, a total of 4,579 dunums were allocated to grain cultivation, while 498 dunums were irrigated or used for orchards, including 30 dunums planted with olive trees.

Ma‘dhar was built atop the remnants of earlier settlements dating back to the Crusader and Ottoman periods, including a ruined church and its cemetery. To the southwest of Ma‘dhar lay the archaeological site of Khirbat Sara (grid ref. 192231), which also contained ancient remains.

Occupation and Depopulation

There is inconsistency in Israeli accounts regarding the village's fate during the early months of the 1948 war. Israeli historian Benny Morris claims that the Arab Higher Committee ordered the evacuation of Ma‘dhar and its neighboring villages—Sirin, ‘Awlam, and Hadatha—on April 6, 1948, although this is considered unlikely. That claim also implies immediate execution of the order.

In contrast, Haganah records state that Givati Brigade units captured these same villages on May 12, 1948, as part of a military operation aimed at consolidating control over the Beisan Valley. According to this account, the villages were abandoned by their residents out of fear of advancing Jewish forces.

Neither Morris nor Haganah sources specify where the displaced residents went or what ultimately happened to their homes and lands.

The Village Today

The site is overgrown and is currently used as grazing land. A large cluster of prickly pear cacti (sabr) grows amid the rubble of demolished homes. At the center of the site is a well with a water pump, and approximately 20 meters west of the well lies an animal trough. The area is populated with eucalyptus, doum palm, and chinaberry trees.

Zionist Settlements on Village Lands

The settlement of Kfar Kish (grid ref. 192230) was established in 1946 on village lands, to the south of the village site. Two nearby settlements—Sharona (194236), founded in 1938, and Sdeh Dovrat (Shadmot Dvora) (191233), founded in 1939—are located north and west, respectively, of the original village site, though not on village lands.