Well house (farmstead)

Well houses (Arabic: Biara) were farmsteads established in the vicinity of orange groves in mid-19th century Palestine.

In addition to luxury villas, the complex included a well, a water storage pool, a pumping system and irrigation channels.

[1] Well houses served as an integral part of Jaffa's citrus-grove culture and contributed to the city's growth.

Each "house" was in effect a compound with accommodations for orchard workers, a water well, a reservoir and an irrigation system.

Members of Jaffa's upper class converted a number of them into luxury mansions and summer homes.