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Druze villages
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Jat
Situated 1,300 feet above sea level is the Druze village of Jat, which forms part of the Yanuh-Jat Local Authority. All 1,900 local residents belong to the Druze community. As with all Druze villages Jat was built on a hill due to the protection it extended. To the south is the village of Yirka, separated from Jat by Wadi al-Majnuna (Arab. Madwoman's Creek). In older times the water flow in the Wadi was highly irregular, leading to sudden floods. Ceramics found at Jat indicated that the site has been intermittently inhabited since the Early Bronze Age. Some researchers identify it as Gat-Asher, the ancient Israelite settlement mentioned in the Ramses II Relief found in Karnak. During the Crusader Age the village was called Ghaz and Zjat. Those claiming that the name Jat is derived from ancient Hebrew point to the wine presses (Heb. Gat) unearthed south of the village. This claim is supported by the names of other ancient settlements around Israel, such as Gat Hefer, Gat Rimon and Gat Carmel, all of which were found to have had wine presses.
Local folklore has the Druze arriving at the village in the 17th century. The ancient village nucleus is characterized by huddled, picturesque houses. The old village contains several oil presses and holy sites, such as Makam Abu-Arus (the grave of an 11th-century apostle of the Druze faith), a wooden Druze house of prayer and the sacred Mubaraka tree. To the east lies the man-made Jat cave, still used to hold rain water.
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