Mi'ilya

[5] Remains include a mosaic carpet with a Greek inscription, dating from the fifth or early sixth century CE.

In 1220 Jocelyn III's daughter Beatrix de Courtenay and her husband Otto von Botenlauben, Count of Henneberg, sold Mi'ilya to the Teutonic Knights on 31 May, for the sum of 7000 marks of silver.

The villagers paid a fixed tax-rate of 25% on various agricultural products, including wheat, barley, olives, and goats or beehives, a total of 2,151 akçe.

[20] In the 1881 PEF's Survey of Western Palestine Mi'ilya was described as being a large and well-built village of stone, containing 450 Christians, surrounded by olives and arable land.

[22] In the 1922 census of Palestine conducted by the British Mandatory authorities, Mi'ilya had a population of 442 inhabitants; 429 Christians and 13 Muslims.

The Ministry for Minority Affairs reported that a further 25 villagers were expelled in March being suspected of passing information to the enemy.

[12] The Arab geographer, Al-Dimashqi, noted the "fine castle", and that close to it was a very pleasant valley, where musk-pears and large citrons were grown.

The ruins and interior of this fortress are now inhabited by about twenty families, which have built their little habitations in the midst of the debris.”[36] Giovanni Mariti passed by in 1761, and noted "an ancient church, in which the Catholic Greeks perform divine service.

"[37] Victor Guérin visited in 1875, and noted that "The Greeks had just rebuilt their church on the foundations of another much more ancient, which was decorated with monolithic columns with capitals imitating Corinthian columns.“[38]

Inscription on the Mamluk gate
Mi'ilya, in 1851, by van de Velde
King's castle, 2009
Mi'ilya church