The Shrine of Joseph (Yusuf)
During the Middle Ages and the Ottoman period, shrines became widespread in Palestine, often dedicated to prophets or righteous saints as a mark of honor and a source of blessings. These shrines varied in form: some were simple buildings, others included mausoleums, and some were situated in caves, beneath trees, or as piles of stones.
One such shrine, built around 1880 AD during the Ottoman era, features an open yard and is accessed through a wide arch on its northern facade. The entrance leads to a spacious hall that connects to the inner shrine room, covered by a stone dome. The southern wall of this inner room houses a niche, and the floor contains the tomb adjacent to the shrine. In 1927, additional rooms were repurposed as a school for children from Balata village.
In an effort to impose a religious justification for territorial claims, the site was erroneously associated with the story of the Prophet Joseph by the Israeli occupation. This claim led to the establishment of an illegal settlement in the area. However, there is no historical or archaeological evidence to support this narrative, and all archaeological surveys and excavations have disproved the alleged connection.