Isfiya

---

title: "Isfiya" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["arab-localities-in-israel", "druze-communities-in-israel", "arab-christian-communities-in-israel", "local-councils-in-haifa-district", "mount-carmel"] description: "Druze village in northern Israel" topic_path: "geography/israel" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isfiya" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Druze village in northern Israel ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

Field	Value
name	Isfiya
native_name	{{Hlist
	rtl
{{Lang	ar
settlement_type	Local council
translit_lang1	Hebrew
translit_lang1_type1	ISO 259
translit_lang1_info1	ʕisp̄íyaˀ
image_skyline	Isfiya 1.jpg
image_caption	View of the village
pushpin_map	Israel haifa#Israel
pushpin_label_position	left
pushpin_map_caption	Location within Israel
coordinates
grid_name	Grid position
grid_position	156/236 PAL
subdivision_type	Country
subdivision_type2	District
{{flag	Haifa District
unit_pref	dunam
area_total_dunam
population_footnotes
population_total
population_as_of
population_density_km2	auto
blank_name_sec1	Name meaning
blank_info_sec1	The devious (road)
::

| name = Isfiya | native_name = {{Hlist | {{Script/Hebrew|עספיא}} | عسفيا | settlement_type = Local council | translit_lang1 = Hebrew | translit_lang1_type1 = ISO 259 | translit_lang1_info1 = ʕisp̄íyaˀ | image_skyline = Isfiya 1.jpg | image_caption = View of the village | pushpin_map_alt = | pushpin_map = Israel haifa#Israel | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_label_position = left | pushpin_map_caption = Location within Israel | coordinates = | grid_name = Grid position | grid_position = 156/236 PAL | subdivision_type = Country | subdivision_name = Israel | subdivision_type1 = | subdivision_name1 = | subdivision_type2 = District | subdivision_name2 = Haifa District | unit_pref = dunam | area_total_dunam = | population_footnotes = | population_total = | population_as_of = | population_density_km2 = auto | blank_name_sec1 = Name meaning | blank_info_sec1 = The devious (road) Isfiya (, ), also known as Usfiya, is a Druze-majority village in northern Israel, governed by a local council. It also includes Christians, Muslims and a few Jewish households. Located on Mount Carmel, it is part of the Haifa District. In its population was 12,136. In 2003, the local council was merged with nearby Daliyat al-Karmel to form Carmel City. However, the new city was dissolved in 2008 and the two villages resumed their independent status.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Isfije_076.jpg" caption="The outskirts of Isfiya"] ::

History

Late Roman and Byzantine periods

Isfiya was built on the ruins of an ancient settlement. A building, dating from the second–fourth centuries CE has been excavated, together with ceramics and coins dating from the period.

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Huseifa_hoard_-Tyrian_shekels(3).JPG" caption="Treasure of Huseifa (Usifiyeh), from 24 BCE to 50 CE."] ::

In 1930, remains of a 5th-century Jewish town, Husifah or Huseifa, were unearthed in Isfiya. Among the finds are a synagogue with a mosaic floor bearing Jewish symbols and the inscription "Peace upon Israel". A cache of 4,500 gold coins were found dating from the Roman period.

A rock-cut burial cave containing pottery coffins, eight ossuaries, numerous oil lamps, as well as pottery, glass vessels, and several bronze objects was unearthed on HaHoresh Street. One of the ossuaries bears a Greek inscription indicating it belongs to Maia, the daughter or wife of a man named Saul.

Crusader period

Crusader remnants have been found in the village.

Ottoman period

The Druze came to the village in the early eighteenth century. The inhabitants made their living from olive oil, honey and grapes.

Isfiya was one of only two villages remaining on Mount Carmel after the expulsion of Ibrahim Pasha in 1841. Seventeen other villages disappeared. The village's survival was attributed partly to "the exceptional valour" of the inhabitants, partly to buying protection from a local Galilee chief, Aqil Agha.

In 1859, the English consul Rogers estimated the population to be 400, who cultivated 20 feddans of land. In 1863, H.B. Tristram visited the village, which he described as Druze and Christian, with a Christian sheikh. Tristam noted that the women's clothing in this village were much like those of al-Bassa, being either "plain, patched or embroidered in the most fantastic and grotesque shapes". In 1870, the French explorer Victor Guérin found that the village had six hundred inhabitants, almost all Druze, with the exception of sixty, who belonged to the "Schismatic Greeks". Gardens were grown all around the village. Some houses seemed very old and dated, Guérin surmised, from the Middle Ages or even earlier, from the time of the Crusades.

In 1881 the Palestine Exploration Fund's Survey of Western Palestine described it as standing "on the highest part of the Carmel watershed, and the highest house was therefore the trigonometrical station on the ridge. It is a moderate-sized village of stone houses, with a well on the south-west. The inhabitants are all Druses. [..] Corn-land and olives surround the land." A population list from about 1887 showed that Isfiya had about 555 inhabitants; 480 Druze and 75 Catholic Christians. When a Jewish moshava was established at Mutallah (Metula) north of Safed in 1896, the Druze population resisted eviction until receiving a reasonable compensation in 1904; some relocated to Isfiya, including the Wahb family.

British Mandate

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Isafiya_old_city_-_panoramio.jpg" caption="Isfiya old city."] ::

In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandate authorities, Isfiya had a population of 733; 590 Druze, 17 Muslims and 126 Christians; the Christians broken down by denomination were six Orthodox, six Roman Catholics, 107 Greek Catholics (Melkites), and seven Maronites. At the time of the 1931 census, Isfiya had 251 occupied houses and a population of 742 Druzes, 187 Christians, and 176 Muslims; a total of 1,105. These counts included the smaller localities Damun Farm, Shallala Farm and al-Jalama.

In the 1945 statistics the population of Isfiya consisted of 1,790; 180 Muslims, 300 Christians and 1,310 classified as "others", that is, Druze, while the land area was 46,905 dunams, according to an official land and population survey. Of this, 1,103 dunams were designated for plantations and irrigable land, 17,357 for cereals, while 74 dunams were built-up (urban) areas.

During the 1936-39 Arab revolt in Palestine, the villagers initially supported a local rebel group led by Yusuf Abu Durra. However, after local leaders were abducted and murdered, the notables turned to the British, who destroyed the group. A Druze self-defense force was established that received arms from the British and sometimes coordinated its activities with local Jewish forces.

State of Israel

Though Isfiya is predominantly Druze, a number of Jews also live there and in other Druze villages due to their low rent rates.

Climate

Isfiya has a mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification: Csa). The average annual temperature is 18.7 °C, and around 689 mm of precipitation falls annually. |width = auto |location = Isfiya |metric first = Y |single line = Y

|Jan high C = 14.8 |Feb high C = 15.5 |Mar high C = 17.7 |Apr high C = 21.6 |May high C = 26.2 |Jun high C = 28.2 |Jul high C = 29.5 |Aug high C = 30.1 |Sep high C = 28.6 |Oct high C = 26.8 |Nov high C = 22.6 |Dec high C = 17.1

|Jan mean C = 11.3 |Feb mean C = 11.8 |Mar mean C = 13.2 |Apr mean C = 16.3 |May mean C = 20.6 |Jun mean C = 23.1 |Jul mean C = 24.8 |Aug mean C = 25.4 |Sep mean C = 24 |Oct mean C = 21.9 |Nov mean C = 18.1 |Dec mean C = 13.4

|Jan low C = 7.8 |Feb low C = 8.2 |Mar low C = 8.8 |Apr low C = 11.1 |May low C = 15.1 |Jun low C = 18.1 |Jul low C = 20.1 |Aug low C = 20.8 |Sep low C = 19.5 |Oct low C = 17.1 |Nov low C = 13.7 |Dec low C = 9.8

|precipitation colour = green |Jan precipitation mm = 184 |Feb precipitation mm = 128 |Mar precipitation mm = 79 |Apr precipitation mm = 26 |May precipitation mm = 8 |Jun precipitation mm = 0 |Jul precipitation mm = 0 |Aug precipitation mm = 0 |Sep precipitation mm = 2 |Oct precipitation mm = 20 |Nov precipitation mm = 91 |Dec precipitation mm = 151 |year precipitation mm= 689

|source = {{cite web |url = https://en.climate-data.org/asia/israel/haifa-district/isfiya-202118/ |title = Climate: Isfiya |date = September 2019}}

Demographics

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/60/PikiWiki_Israel_70263_usfia.jpg" caption="View from the Maronite Church of Isfiya."] ::

77.1% of the population is Druze, 13.6% is Christian and 9.1% is Muslim. A few Jewish families also live there. The Christian population is mostly Melkite Catholic, with a few Maronite households.

Landmarks

The tomb of Abu Abdallah is located in Isfiya. Abu Abdullah was one of three religious leaders chosen by Caliph Al-Hakem in 996 CE to proclaim the Druze faith. He is said to have been the first Druze religious judge (qadi). The Druze make an annual visit to this shrine on November 15.

Economy

Isfiya and Daliyat al-Karmel joined Yokneam Illit and the Megiddo Regional Council to develop the Mevo Carmel Jewish-Arab Industrial Park to benefit from the existing high-tech ecosystem.

The economy of Isfiya is consistently growing as more tourists are visiting regularly, and more businesses are being opened.

Notable people

• Zeidan Atashi
• Reda Mansour
• Elias Tony Absawy
• Hiyam Qablan

References

Bibliography

References

1. Palmer, 1881, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp00conduoft#page/109/mode/1up 109]
2. https://m.jpost.com/magazine/top-of-the-hill-474175 Jerusalem Post
3. "The Central Bureau of Statistics - Populations in Israel by Town".
4. Oren, 2008, [http://www.hadashot-esi.org.il/report_detail_eng.aspx?id=967&mag_id=114 'Isfiya]
5. "Astrology and Judaism in Late Antiquity".
6. Avi-Yonah and Makhouly, 1934, pp. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.56293/page/n196/mode/1up 118–131]
7. [https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Society_&_Culture/druze.html Druze] Jewish Virtual Library
8. (2023-03-20). "CXI. Ḥusifa (mod. ʿIsfiya)". De Gruyter.
9. Dan Barag. (1979). "A new source concerning the ultimate borders of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem". Israel Exploration Journal.
10. Tristram, 1865, p. [https://archive.org/stream/landisraelajour01trisgoog#page/n160/mode/1up 112]
11. Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, p. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp01conduoft#page/282/mode/1up 282]
12. Tristram, 1865, pp [https://archive.org/stream/landisraelajour01trisgoog#page/n159/mode/1up 111]- [https://archive.org/stream/landisraelajour01trisgoog#page/n162/mode/1up 114]
13. Weir, 1989, p. 80, citing Tristram, 1865, p. [https://archive.org/stream/landisraelajour01trisgoog#page/n116/mode/1up 68]
14. Guérin, 1875, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/descriptiongogr04gugoog#page/n273/mode/1up 248]-249
15. Conder and Kitchener, 1881, SWP I, pp. [https://archive.org/stream/surveyofwesternp01conduoft#page/281/mode/1up 281] -282
16. Schumacher, 1888, p. [https://archive.org/stream/quarterlystateme19pale#page/n203/mode/1up 178]
17. Avneri, Arieh L.. (1984). "The Claim of Dispossession: Jewish Land-settlement and the Arabs, 1878-1948". Transaction Publishers.
18. Falah 1975, p. 45.
19. Barron, 1923, Table XI, Sub-District of Haifa, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n35/mode/1up 33]
20. Barron, 1923, Table XVI, p. [https://archive.org/stream/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29#page/n51/mode/1up 49]
21. Mills, 1932, p. [https://archive.org/details/CensusOfPalestine1931.PopulationOfVillagesTownsAndAdministrativeAreas 92]
22. Department of Statistics, 1945, p. [http://users.cecs.anu.edu.au/~bdm/yabber/census/VSpages/VS1945_p14.jpg 14]
23. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20I/Haifa/Page-048.jpg 48]
24. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20II/Haifa/Page-090.jpg 90]
25. Government of Palestine, Department of Statistics. ''Village Statistics, April, 1945.'' Quoted in Hadawi, 1970, p. [http://www.palestineremembered.com/download/VillageStatistics/Table%20III/Haifa/Page-140.jpg 140]
26. [http://surj.stanford.edu/2005/pdfs/Adi.pdf] {{webarchive. link. (July 11, 2010)
27. (21 February 2011). "Jews Moving to Druze Villages". Arutz Sheva.
28. (2016). "Isfiya Municipal Profile". [[Israel Central Bureau of Statistics]].
29. "הרשות לפיתוח הגליל - בואו להכיר את עוספיא".
30. [http://www.tourism.gov.il/Tourism_Euk/Tourist+Information/Ethnic+Groups/Druze/The+Abu+Abdullah+Shrine+in+Isfiya.htm The Abu Abdullah Shrine in Isfiya] Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs
31. "מבוא כרמל".
32. "Mevo Carmel". The Center for Jewish - Arab Economic Development.
33. "Small Business Incubator for "Green" Businesses Mevo Carmel - Joint Jewish-Arab Employment Zone | יסמין | יזמות נשים".

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