01In brief
Ein al-Asad is a Druze village in the Upper Galilee, within the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council. The feature film Arabani was filmed there, with director Adi Adwan choosing the village for its small size and beauty. Guest accommodation is another feature of the locality: a 2020 report counted 120 guest rooms, including 12 villas, in a village of about 900 residents.
02Overview
03History
The village’s original residents came from Beit Jan and from Syria and Lebanon.[4] Accounts differ on its founding chronology. In a Knesset speech on November 29, 2016, MK Akram Hasson said it had been established in 1889 by Druze from Beit Jann; a separate reference account instead describes it as the only all-Druze village founded in the twentieth century.[1][4]
The village was listed as having been connected to the national electricity grid in a committee report covering December 1975–June 1976.[6] On November 29, 2016, Hasson also announced that national planning official Shira Brans had approved the village’s master plan the previous day.[1]
In 2023, retired Brigadier General Amal Asad and former Bank of Israel director-general Hezi Kalo were assisting the locality’s committee with security procedures and consulting with Northern Command and Home Front Command.[7]
04Demographics
Ein al-Asad had 885 residents in 2020 and was listed under locality code 546 within Merom HaGalil Regional Council.[8] Its Druze population at the end of that year was recorded as 0.9 thousand, rounded to one decimal place, representing 97% of the locality’s population.[9] Hasson’s November 2016 speech had placed the village’s population at about 1,000.[1]
05Economy and Culture
Guest accommodation formed part of a growing tourism trend in Druze villages in 2020, when Ein al-Asad had 120 guest rooms, including 12 villas.[3] Samir Abu Saleh’s “Green Princess” was identified as the village’s oldest guest villa, with separate family living space and guest facilities.[3]
Abu Saleh said that couples and families accounted for 95% of his guests, while young people celebrating birthdays or bachelor parties accounted for the remaining 5%.[3] At his property, music was permitted only until 11 p.m. out of consideration for neighbors.[3]
The feature film Arabani was shot in the village and concerns a Druze man returning to his northern Israeli village after a 17-year estrangement.[2] Director Adi Adwan selected Ein al-Asad for its small size and beauty.[2]
06Notable Sites
Nearby landscape features include Mount Ha’ari and the Ein Asad spring.[5] A dirt-road route to the Ein Ha’ari spring runs from Rama or Ein al-Asad along the road connecting the two villages.[10] Another approach follows a dirt track through olive groves from Route 866, between the Hanania and Rama junctions.[10]
Sources
- 1The Knesset, Knesset plenary transcript, session 171, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 2The Times of Israel, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 3Mako, Why people are flocking from Gush Dan to Yarqa’s bachelor party scene, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 4Jewish Virtual Library, History & Overview of the Israeli Druze, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 5Ynet, When a lion roars, who will not fear?, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 6Berman Jewish Policy Archive, Gideon Weigert, “Israel's Druse Community at Turning Point,” Forum (1978), accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 7Globes, Meet the “Northern Tigers”: the former senior officers who enlisted at age 70, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 8Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Table 3: Localities within regional councils, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 9Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, The Druze Population of Israel,” 2022, accessed on November 11, 2026.
- 10Ynet, Ein Ha’ari Spring, accessed on November 11, 2026.
IsraelPedia Question & Answers
What is Ein al-Asad?
Ein al-Asad is a Druze village in the Upper Galilee, within the jurisdiction of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council. The village is known for guest accommodation and was the filming location for the feature film Arabani.
Where is Ein al-Asad located?
Ein al-Asad lies near Peki’in and Safed, amid mountainous terrain and near Nahal Ha’ari. Deir al-Asad is to its west in the Beit Hakerem Valley.
When was Ein al-Asad founded?
Accounts differ on Ein al-Asad’s founding chronology. In a Knesset speech on November 29, 2016, MK Akram Hasson said Druze from Beit Jann established the village in 1889, while a separate reference account describes it as the only all-Druze village founded in the twentieth century.
How many people lived in Ein al-Asad in 2020?
Ein al-Asad had 885 residents in 2020. The Druze population was recorded as 0.9 thousand, rounded to one decimal place, representing 97% of the locality’s population.
What is notable about tourism and guest accommodation in Ein al-Asad?
Ein al-Asad had 120 guest rooms in 2020, including 12 villas, as guest accommodation grew in Druze villages. Samir Abu Saleh’s “Green Princess” was identified as the village’s oldest guest villa, with separate family living space and guest facilities. Abu Saleh said couples and families made up 95% of his guests.
What is the film Arabani about, and why was it filmed in Ein al-Asad?
Arabani is a feature film about a Druze man returning to his northern Israeli village after a 17-year estrangement. Director Adi Adwan chose Ein al-Asad for the film because of the village’s small size and beauty.
What natural sites and routes are near Ein al-Asad?
Mount Ha’ari and the Ein Asad spring are among the landscape features near Ein al-Asad. A dirt-road route to the Ein Ha’ari spring runs from Rama or Ein al-Asad along the road connecting the two villages; another approach follows a dirt track through olive groves from Route 866, between the Hanania and Rama junctions.