Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
2 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
5 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Israel Beit Jann Beit Jann

Beit Jann

This ancient village is peopled by a religious minority and is still using some of the same materials it was built with thousands of years ago.

Beit Jann, Israel

Added By
Eric Grundhauser
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Beit Jann   jabel.org.il
Beit Jann   jabel.org.il
Beit Jann   Wikipedia
Beit Jann   Wikipedia
Being Borned in Bait Jann Is The Main Happiness!   A model Shoter
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

One of the final homes of the Druze people, the Israeli village of Beit Jann preserves not just its people's culture but also the building materials that they established the village with.

Nestled atop Mount Meron in northern Israel, Beit Jann has existed since at least the 16th century, providing a home for a population of the Druze people, a religious minority in Israel. As the legend goes, Druze communities existed in the area much earlier, congregating near water sources, but it was not until a pair of hunters chased a hare into a hidden cave where they found a fresh spring and hunting bows that they knew this would be the place for the Druze people to create a settlement. The oldest structure in the village now stands on the spot where the cave is said to have been found.

Today the population hovers at above 10,000 citizens, all of Druze descent, save one Muslim family that moved to the area in the 1940's. As the population of the village has grown, new structures including homes, benches, and tombstones have repurposed materials from some of the first buildings and even built on their foundations. Thanks to this recycling, the primarily white building aesthetic has been retained throughout most of the village.

Throughout all of modern Israel, there are estimated to be only around 125,000 Druze people left and Beit Jann is one of the greatest places to experience their culture without adulteration.      

Related Tags

Ancient Architectural Oddities Architecture

Community Contributors

Added By

EricGrundhauser

Edited By

tprankster022

  • tprankster022

Published

June 17, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beit_Jann
  • http://www.jabel.org.il/Kfarim/Templates/showpage.asp?DBID=1&LNGID=1&TMID=84&FID=310
Beit Jann
Beit Jann
Israel
32.965655, 35.381268

Nearby Places

Monfort Fortress

Eilon, Israel

miles away

Mount Arbel

Hamaam, Israel

miles away

Tel Hazor

Ayelet HaShahar, Israel

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Israel

Israel

Middle East

Places 85
Stories 26

Nearby Places

Monfort Fortress

Eilon, Israel

miles away

Mount Arbel

Hamaam, Israel

miles away

Tel Hazor

Ayelet HaShahar, Israel

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Israel

Israel

Middle East

Places 85
Stories 26

Related Places

  • Vals, France

    Église Notre-Dame de Vals (Church of Our Lady of Vals)

    A medieval church built into an ancient cave.

  • Athens, Greece

    St. John Around the Column

    There are many Byzantine-era churches still standing in Athens, but this is the only one with a 2,500-year-old column rising through its roof.

  • Exterior of the church in April 2018.

    Athens, Greece

    Agia Dynamis

    This small 16th-century church in Athens is almost entirely surrounded by a modern building.

  • Kharanaq.

    Iran

    Kharānaq

    The tower in this 1,000-year-old mud-brick village seems to vibrate for no apparent reason.

  • The Roman gravestone mounted in the wall of the church.

    Herrsching am Ammersee, Germany

    Roman Gravestone

    A carved grave marker from the 2nd century is mounted in the alcove wall of this Bavarian church.

  • A relief of surgical instruments.

    Nagoa Ash Shatb, Egypt

    Temple of Kom Ombo

    One of its engravings is believed to be among the first representations of medical and surgical instruments.

  • The aqueduct at night.

    Segovia, Spain

    Segovia Aqueduct

    One of the few remaining ancient aqueducts described by Frontinus as 'the most solemn testimony of the Empire.'

  • Manazan, Turkey

    City of Manazan

    Naturally protected city carved from a rock face.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.