[7] Nearby Khirbet Bayt Jiz has been claimed as the site of the Biblical Gizo and has been linked to the Crusader settlement of Gith, although the latter association was dubbed as doubtful by some historians.

A stone with Arabic inscriptions was found near the maqam, attributing the building of the structure to a Mamluk commander named Sayf ad-Din Aqul.

"[12] In 1883, the PEF's Survey of Western Palestine described the place, called Khurbet Beit Jiz, as having "traces of ruins and a sacred Mukam.

The village center included a mosque, some shops, and a school built in 1947, shared with nearby Bayt Susin.

Bayt Jiz's economy was based on agriculture, with the main crops being grains, figs, vegetables, almonds, and olives.

Nevertheless, Palestinian historian Aref al-Aref points out that the village had not been evacuated for the first assault of the Battle of Latrun that took place on May 22.

Consequently, they were surprised to encounter fierce resistance from the local militia as well as from Jordanian regulars in the Latrun sector who sent troops to the village.

[6] A few days after, the Burma Road that crossed the village of Bayt Jiz was built by Israeli to counter the Latrun sector and to supply Jerusalem.

One of the storage houses is a large, stone structure, with a flat roof and a three paneled, lancet-arched side window.

Three of the deserted houses are two-story structures"Petersen, inspecting the place in 1996, found that the most distinctive extant building was the Maqam of Shayk Zaid.