In 1852 Edward Robinson noted: "On approaching the village, we came upon the ruins of dwellings, some of them of hewn stones ; and I afterwards found among them a curved stone of an arch with a projecting shoulder, such as is seen in the remains of the theatre at Smyrna. The ruins we had come to examine are in the village itself. They consist of two rows of columns of an ancient temple, extending from east to west. The columns are of a whitish limestone. Of the northern row there are four standing in place, two prostrate, and fragments of two others. Of the southern row, three are standing and two are lying. One of the upright columns has an Ionic capital with delicate tracery work below the volutes. Its height in all is about twelve feet. Many large hewn stones are built into the walls of hovels around and among the columns ; but there are none that seem to be in place. That here was an ancient heathen temple there can be little doubt, but whether it was of Phoenician, Greek, or Roman origin, there exists no historic trace whatever to afford light or reward inquiry." In 1875, Victor Guérin found the village to have 150 Metuali inhabitants. In 1881, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described it: "A village, built of stone, containing about 150 Metawileh, situated on a hill-top. It was evidently an early Christian village . The country round is cultivated with figs, olives, and arable land ; there is a rock-cut birkeh and several cisterns in the village. Traces of an ancient paved road are to be found to the north in the valley, that may have formerly led up to the village." They further noted: "There are here the remains of an early Christian church. Two of the columns still stand in situ in the village, and one bears its capital of Corinthiandesign, resembling-those at Yarun. Several pedestals are also in situ, with the doubtful traces of an apse. Under this there is a rock-cut tomb, with the entrance outside the east end of the church, and the local under where the altar would probably be placed. The loculi are ordinary square-headed kokim; the tomb was too much filled with chopped straw to see how many there were. A large stone, used as a lintel in one of the houses, bears the representation of a vase; and there is also a stone niche built into the wall of a modern house. There are several well-dressed stones of considerable size, and some rock-cutting showing foundations of ancient buildings."
