Jubb Yussef (Joseph's Well)

The ruins at Jubb Yussef ("Joseph’s Well" in English, Arabic: جُبّ يُوسِف‎‎ in Arabic, Hebrew: גוב יוסף‎‎) in Galilee are identified with the pit in Dothan, into which the Biblical figure Joseph was cast into by his brothers, later to be sold to a caravan of Midianites making its way toward Egypt (Genesis 37:22). For centuries, the site served as a crossroads on the Via Maris linking Egypt (Cairo), Syria (Damascus), and Mesopotamia. From the 10th century onward, it is mentioned as a landmark, a holy place, and a source of water for caravans. From the 13th century there was a settlement in the area, which is mentioned up to the 17th century. At the end of the 16th century, a small khan (or caravanserai) was built there.

The khan is notable for its solid construction and state of conservation compared to other khans from the same period. But over recent years it has been deteriorating to the point that it endangers its visitors.

Jubb Yussef is located near Kibbutz Amiad in the Galilee, altitude 246 meters, at the western side of a lone rocky hill (datum point 2006.2583). It consists of a dug-out pit with a diameter of one meter and depth of about four meters, roofed by a cupola supported by four pillars, and surrounded by ancient graves.

Jubb Yussef is mentioned for the first time in the middle of the 10th century, but the current structure is of a later period. According to evidence of travellers, the pit, which had been 10 meters deep, had held good drinking water up until the 19th century. Afterwards, due perhaps to the Galilee earthquake of 1837, the pit collapsed and since then has not been mentioned as a source of water. The pit and cupola were located in a quadrangle which also had a small mosque; this was still mentioned by travellers in the 19th century, though nothing remains of it today.

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